Boston Bruins fans rejoice: Patrice Bergeron is healthy again

Boston Bruins nation can breathe a sigh of relief. Fans of the Black and Gold just received some good news about a month before the start of the season.

There is no denying that Patrice Bergeron is the heart-and-soul of the Boston Bruins lineup.

When he had a slow start offensively to the 2016-2017 season, the team had an up-and-down first half. When he turned it on and posted an impressive second half on the score sheets, the team looked better overall and made it to the playoffs. And when it comes to defensive prowess, come on it’s Patrice Bergeron, he never struggles there. That’s why there’s now a fourth Selke Trophy sitting on his shelf at home.

What’s even more impressive about his second half performance and the Selke win is that he played the majority of last season in significant pain.

During his gold medal performance in the World Cup of Hockey, Bergeron suffered a sports hernia injury. Despite that, Bergeron played 79 regular season games, had a 19:25 ATOI, put up 53 points, won 60.1% of his faceoffs, and played all six playoff games. Talk about hockey tough! But hell, what would you expect from a guy who played game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013 against the Chicago Blackhawks with a punctured lung.

Shortly after the Bruins were eliminated from the playoffs by the Ottawa Senators, Bergeron underwent surgery to repair his sports hernia.

With Bruins training camp starting soon, David Pastrnak’s contract status wasn’t the only black cloud looming over the start of the Bruins’ season. However, as recently reported by NHL.com, Bergeron anticipates being 100% healthy going into next season.

"“Still doing some rehab. I’ll be ready for camp,” said Bergeron, who had the surgery May 8. “I feel good. There’s some restriction there that we have to work on, but overall, I feel pretty good. I feel good on the ice, I feel good in the gym. We still have to definitely do some treatments, but definitely, I feel good and I know I’ll be ready for camp.”"

Looking ahead to October and beyond

Combining a healthy Bergeron, a motivated Brad Marchand coming off a career year, and a full season with Bruce Cassidy at the helm, big things could be in store for the Bruins and their fans in 2017-2018. The team went 18-8-1 under Cassidy’s watch to end the regular season after Claude Julien was shown the door on February 7.

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To say Cassidy and Julien have a difference in coaching styles is an understatement. Julien tended to lean on having mostly veterans in his lineup and playing a bit more of a defense-first, slow-paced game. A coaching style that some players (i.e., Tyler Seguin) didn’t necessarily fit into.

Bergeron, when asked about this upcoming season with Cassidy said:

"“Just knowing what to expect is always nice,” the 32-year-old center said. “We know what Bruce is all about, and his system, and the change that he wanted to make last year. So it’s definitely going to be helpful for us to start the year with him and carry what we’ve done last year. Hopefully we can do some great things as soon as the season starts.”"

Cassidy appears to have a bit more trust in younger, speedier players who can produce add spark to a game. This could be what the Bruins need, given the fact that the game appears to be getting faster.

Next: Tuukka Rask is still a top-tier NHL goalie

This news of Bergeron’s health can only act to increase the hopes of Bruins fans as the team gets ready to start main training camp on September 14th, with the first pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens on September 18th.

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