Patrice Bergeron is having fun with retired life as a hockey dad
Boston Bruins
“I positively miss the competitors and being with the boys. … However I am positively content material and blissful at house.”
Patrice Bergeron was in a well-recognized spot on Saturday afternoon.
In the identical barn the place his No. 37 will quickly hover excessive above the ice, the Bruins legend glided towards the face-off circle.
The soon-to-be Corridor of Famer, now 41, nonetheless appears to be like like he might don the spoked-B and chip in on a promising 9-2-1 Bruins roster.
However Father Time is undefeated.
And on Saturday, Bergeron traded in black and gold for black-and-white stripes — dropping the puck as his son, Zach, lined up on the face-off dot.
These are the duties nowadays for Bergeron, who helped officiate for Newton Youth Hockey as a part of a “Future Bruins” scrimmage on Causeway Avenue.
Bergeron, who final performed for Boston in April 2023 after 19 seasons, continues to be an everyday across the rink.
However nowadays, his hockey schedule revolves round teaching his sons’ groups in Newton and ferrying the household to and from a number of barns throughout New England.
“I’m nonetheless the driving force,” Bergeron stated of his new function as a stay-at-home dad. “Perhaps much more so now due to all of the actions and all the things they’ve acquired occurring. We’ve acquired 4 [kids], so clearly the weekends are very busy, however it’s enjoyable. I’m having fun with my time with them. I’m having fun with being house extra and being current — it’s been nice.”
As a part of Saturday’s occasion, Zach Bergeron — donning his father’s No. 37 — took the ice together with his teammates for a 30-minute scrimmage forward of Boston’s eventual 6-4 win over the Sharks.
Bergeron, who helped register Newton Youth Hockey for the “Future Bruins” occasion, largely took within the motion whereas skating alongside the boards, watching his son and his teammates commerce rushes down the ice as household and buddies cheered alongside the glass.
For the elder Bergeron — who logged practically 1,300 video games within the NHL — attending to see his personal youngsters discover their footing on the ice is among the extra rewarding chapters of his post-playing profession.
“Now my boys are in these sneakers, and I feel it’s an incredible expertise for them,” Bergeron stated of the “Future Bruins” occasion, which Boston has held for greater than 20 years. “I feel that’s what it’s all about. At this age, I feel we’re so targeted generally on all the things else however having enjoyable.
“At the moment, to see all the grins and see what the game actually means and the values you be taught from it, it’s superb. I’m simply glad to be part of it and attempt to assist these children develop.”
After Saturday’s skate, Charlie McAvoy — Bergeron’s teammate for his remaining six years within the NHL — met with the children for pictures and a Q&A session.
When requested about his favourite a part of being a hockey participant, McAvoy pointed to the camaraderie and friendships solid within the locker room — particularly on a Bruins crew whose tradition was cultivated by franchise fixtures like Zdeno Chara and Bergeron.
It’s a sentiment that also resonates with Bergeron, now greater than three years faraway from the final time he skated off the TD Backyard ice in a Bruins sweater.
“I positively miss the competitors and being with the boys,” Bergeron acknowledged. “Chuck was speaking about what he likes most about hockey — the locker room, the friendships, it’s so true. So I positively miss that half.
“However I’m positively content material and blissful at house. And yeah, [life] slows down on the touring aspect. However so far as the schedule? It’s nonetheless very busy. My days are fairly full.”
Nonetheless, Bergeron has carved out time to observe the most recent iteration of the Bruins — a retooling crew buoyed by the arrival of a number of younger gamers like Fraser Minten and James Hagens.
Bergeron — who gave some face-off tips to the 22-year-old Minten throughout a go to to Warrior Ice Area final spring — likes what he sees from Boston’s subsequent wave of expertise.
“There’s been some gamers which have actually taken an enormous step ahead,” Bergeron stated. “They’re enjoying some nice hockey. And Fraser clearly is a child who’s enhancing from one 12 months to the subsequent, but in addition has proven loads of intangibles, particulars in his recreation, and maturity. It’s nice to see. You need to clearly encourage that to proceed, let him develop and grow to be his personal participant.”
A lot has modified because the final time Bergeron captained the Bruins, with simply six gamers remaining from that 2022-23 marketing campaign.
However on an evolving roster, Bergeron is heartened by what he’s seen from a couple of acquainted faces — together with McAvoy and newly anointed captain David Pastrnak.
“I feel I at all times noticed management qualities in David and with McAvoy as effectively,” Bergeron stated. “There’s loads of guys in that locker room who’re nice leaders. I feel Pasta has proven to be an elite participant on this league, however he’s additionally main the correct means. I’m so blissful for him.
“They’re off to an incredible begin, and hopefully they hold it going. The management is by committee, and I consider in that as effectively. After I was there, I feel we had an excellent group of men and leaders, and I feel they’ve that very same luxurious we had. … I’m blissful for them and cheering them on.”
Bergeron’s already crammed schedule will get much more hectic over the subsequent few months.
The six-time Selke Trophy winner will probably be formally inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in Toronto on Nov. 9. Lower than a month later, he’ll be again on Causeway Avenue together with his household, watching his No. 37 be raised to the rafters.
“It’s thrilling,” Bergeron acknowledged. “It’s additionally, in a way, I assume overwhelming in a means. It’s superior, and I’m wanting ahead to it. Nevertheless it’s positively [back] within the highlight a little bit bit. That’s the place it’s going to be a little bit totally different.
“However positively very appreciative and really humbling to be thought of and to have the Corridor of Fame celebration, but in addition the jersey retirement celebration. It’s very significant and one thing that I’m wanting ahead to having fun with with household, buddies, but in addition with the followers, for certain.”
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