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Patrice Bergeron

Boston Bruins Name Patrice Bergeron Captain

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Since Zdeno Chara left to sign with the Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins have been without a captain. It was clear who would be next, but today it has become official. Patrice Bergeron has been named the 20th captain in team history.

The 35-year-old center has spent his entire career in Boston, debuting in 2003 just a few months after being selected 45th overall. At just 18 he scored 16 goals and 39 points, quickly showing that there was greatness in him. Though the next season would be spent in the minor leagues thanks to an NHL lockout, Bergeron would never really look back, hitting the 30-goal and 70-point mark in his second season with Boston. In all, he’s totaled 1,089 games and 869 points, while tying the NHL record with four Selke Trophy wins as the league’s best defensive forward.

In 2011 he took home the ultimate prize, winning the Stanley Cup after scoring 20 points in 23 games. His overall playoff performance has always been outstanding, with 111 points in 149 career postseason games.

It’s more than just his on-ice performance though. Bruins president Cam Neely touched on the other qualities that make Bergeron a perfect choice for captain:

It’s a privilege to name Patrice the 20th Captain of the Boston Bruins. For 16 seasons we have all watched Patrice grow not only into an elite player but also a tremendous leader. Patrice represents the Bruins organization and our fans with integrity, determination and class. On and off the ice he embodies what it means to be a Bruin, and we couldn’t be prouder that he will lead our team as Captain.

Though Bergeron takes his rightful place among the greatest Bruins of all-time, there could potentially be another captain change not too far down the line. He’ll turn 36 in July and is only under contract through the 2021-22 season. While there is obviously plenty of game left in his boots, you never know when he’ll hang them up. Bruins fans should cherish this time with Bergeron donning the “C” before the sweater heads to the Hall of Fame.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Sean Couturier Named 2020 Selke Trophy Winner

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Another day, another NHL award announced. This evening it was the honor of best defensive forward, which went to Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier. The league named Couturier the recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the 2019-20 season, his first time winning the award. The Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association and is awarded to the forward deemed to “best excel in the defensive aspects of the game.”

Couturier faced stiff competition for the honor this season, as 2018-19 winner Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues and four-time winner and nine-time finalist Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins were also named finalists. Yet, the race was not particularly close. Couturier finished with 117 of a possible 170 first-place votes, 96 more than Bergeron in second. His 1424 total voting points were also 540 more than Bergeron. O’Reilly finished close behind in third, with Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli in fourth and Vegas’ Mark Stone and Montreal’s Phillip Danault finishing in a distant fifth and sixth respectively.

Couturier has grown into one of if not the best face-off man in the NHL, a main reason he ran away with the Selke this season. He won 59.7% of his draws, more than any other player in the league (with a minimum 50 face-offs). He also ranked second in defensive zone face-off percentage. On the club level, he led all Flyers forwards in average time on ice and short-handed ice time per game and led all Philadelphia skaters in plus/minus and Corsi. Additionally, Couturier finished second in scoring for Philly, just two points behind Travis Konecny for the team lead.  

Poll: Who Should Win The 2020 Selke Trophy?

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The finalists have been announced for all the major awards, but like every year there is much debate over who should take home each piece of hardware. In fact, with a shortened season and unorthodox playoff scenario, the views and reasoning behind each vote will perhaps vary even more wildly.

So as we get closer to the return of NHL hockey in Edmonton and Toronto, where 24 teams will try to chase the Stanley Cup, we’re going to ask you, the PHR faithful, to explain who you would vote for if given the chance.

After looking at the Calder Trophy finalists, Jack Adams nominees and Norris Trophy contenders, let’s shift our focus to the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to “the forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.” Despite being purely about defensive skill, the Selke is almost always given to a player who also excels at the offensive side of things. That makes it one of the most divisive major awards, especially since defensive acumen is so difficult to judge in many cases.

This year’s finalists are no different, with Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues, Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins also showing their strengths at the offensive end of the rink. The award also strongly leans towards the center position, which all three finalists are.

You have to start things with O’Reilly, given he took home the award a year ago. The Blues center has been one of the best faceoff men in the league for basically his entire career, posting a 55.4% win percentage over nearly 15,000 draws. He also is always available to help penalty kill, given he doesn’t take penalties—his ten PIM this season earned him another finalist spot in the Lady Byng voting.

O’Reilly won the award for the first time last season, but is up against the player who it may be renamed for one day. Patrice Bergeron has won the Selke four times in his career, finishing in the top-5 in each of the previous ten seasons. Taking his fifth trophy this year would move him ahead of Bob Gainey for the most all-time, a record that would be incredibly difficult to beat moving forward.

It’s easy to understand why Bergeron is always in the mix when you look at his incredible possession numbers, faceoff stats, and consistent takeaway totals. There are few players in history you’d rather want checking the opponent’s best talents, but Bergeon continues to just pour in 30-goal seasons year after year.

O’Reilly and Bergeron may be looking to repeat as winners, but they’ll have to defeat Couturier who has really taken over as the leader of the Flyers forward group. Once just known as a strong checking center, the 27-year old is now also an excellent offensive talent that rarely gives up the puck once he has it. Add that to his league-leading 59.7% faceoff percentage this season and it may finally be time for Couturier to win an individual award.

Perhaps more than any other award it is tough to know who came close to these three finalists, given how subjective the voting tends to be. Mark Stone, usually regarded as the best defensive winger in the game finished second last season and had another outstanding season in Vegas. Jonathan Toews, who won the award in 2013, had another strong year but has faded from Selke consideration in recent seasons. Sidney Crosby, whose defensive attributes are sometimes overlooked, played only 41 games and is likely to drop out of the top group.

Who do you think should take the 2020 Selke Trophy home? Feel free to vote outside the top three and explain your choice in the comments!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

2020 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced

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The NHL has announced the 31 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” Last year’s winner was Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild.

Each team submits one nominee. This year’s are:

Anaheim: Cam Fowler

Arizona: Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Boston: Patrice Bergeron

Buffalo: Jack Eichel

Calgary: Travis Hamonic

Carolina: Jordan Staal

Chicago: Jonathan Toews

Colorado: Gabriel Landeskog

Columbus: Cam Atkinson

Dallas: Tyler Seguin

Detroit: Justin Abdelkader

Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl

Florida: Sergei Bobrovsky

Los Angeles: Trevor Lewis

Minnesota: Matt Dumba

Montreal: Carey Price

Nashville: Pekka Rinne

New Jersey: P.K. Subban

NY Islanders: Matt Martin

NY Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist

Ottawa: Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia: Kevin Hayes

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby

San Jose: Evander Kane

St. Louis: Ryan O’Reilly

Tampa Bay: Alex Killorn

Toronto: Mitch Marner

Vancouver: Alexander Edler

Vegas: Marc-Andre Fleury

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

NHL Announces All-Decade Teams

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The 2010’s are in the books and the NHL has used this weekend’s All-Star festivities to announce the selections to the All-Decade First and Second Teams. The games best players of the past ten years, as decided by a panel of general managers, hockey operations executives, NHL.com writers, and on-air talent from NBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports, are listed below:

All-Decade First Team

F Sidney Crosby
F Patrick Kane
F Alex Ovechkin
D Drew Doughty
D Duncan Keith
G Marc-Andre Fleury

All-Decade Second Team

F Patrice Bergeron
F Evgeni Malkin
F Steven Stamkos
D Zdeno Chara
D Erik Karlsson
G Henrik Lundqvist

The one obvious thing that many of these players have in common are Stanley Cups. The Chicago Blackhawks won three titles this decade, more than any other team, and first-team stars Kane and Keith played key roles in each. The Pittsburgh Penguins took home two Stanley Cups while making the playoffs every year in the 2010’s and franchise icons Crosby and Malkin continue to lead their team. Meanwhile, Fleury appeared in three straight championships, leaving the Penguins to carry the Vegas Golden Knights to the Cup final in their inaugural season. The Los Angeles Kings also won a pair of titles in the decade, just one year apart, with dominant defenseman Doughty leading the way. In fact, much of the 2010’s were taken up by a six-year span from 2012 to 2017 wherein only Chicago, Pittsburgh, and L.A. took home the Cup. Yet, few would discount Boston’s prevalence during these past ten years as well, as they won a Stanley Cup title and made three final appearances overall, with the ageless Chara and Bergeron playing key roles in runs on either end of the decade. Ovechkin finally got his Cup in 2018 after a decade of consistency unlike any other player in the league.

While few would argue that the likes of Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, and Bergeron are some of the best NHLers of all time, it speaks measures that Stamkos, Karlsson, and Lundqvist were elected to the all-decade team with just two Stanley Cup Final appearances between them and no Cup wins. All three have played on teams that were both true contenders and bottom dwellers at times during the decade, but have continued to maintain a constant level of elite play.

Each of these dozen players have plenty of accolades to warrant their selection as an All-Decade team member. That’s not to say that many other players don’t also have strong cases. Who were the biggest snubs from the All-Decade roster? Let your opinion be known in the comments below.

PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

Cal Clutterbuck Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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The New York Islanders knew they were losing forward Cal Clutterbuck for a while after suffering a slash to his wrist by the skate of Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron on Thursday. However, after undergoing wrist surgery Friday to repair tendon damage, Clutterbuck is now out indefinitely, but the team expects him to return this season, according to Andrew Gross of Newsday.

“Cal Clutterbuck did have an operation to just repair a couple of little pieces,” Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said. “The cut was clean, no complications. It’s just going to be a matter of time when it heals. It was 100 percent successful. He will be back this season.”

Evidently, the injury could have been worse. Clutterbuck received stitches on Thursday night and was able to fly home before seeing a doctor and undergoing surgery. Lamoriello said there should be no long-term repercussions with his wrist once he returns.

The team has recalled veteran Andrew Ladd, who has been working his way back from injuries to both of his knees. The 34-year-old has seven goals and nine points in 19 AHL games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Bergeron, Miller, Larkin

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The Department of Player Safety announced late Saturday that it has fined Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk $2,486.56, the maximum allowable fine under the CBA, for his cross check on Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton.

The two players had some words earlier in the game after Laughton scored the go-ahead goal, but with 30 seconds remaining in the game, Tkachuk cross-checked Laughton away from the play, knocking the forward to the ice. Tkachuk followed that up by jumping on top of him and starting a skirmish that stopped play. Tkachuk was given minor penalties for roughing and cross-checking.

  • The Boston Herald’s Marisa Ingemi reports that Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron, who was placed on injured reserve on Saturday with a lower-body injury, is expected to travel with the team on their four-game road trip next week, although there is no word on whether he will play. Bergeron has missed seven straight games now, but the 34-year-old did practice Friday with the team in a red non-contact jersey.
  • With the return of veteran Kyle Okposo, Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger sent defenseman Colin Miller to the press box for the seventh time in 14 games, according to The Athletic’s John Vogl (subscription required). The Sabres, who were praised during the offseason for acquiring the 27-year-old from Vegas for future second and fifth-round picks, have struggled finding a role for the blueliner, who still has a $3.875MM contract that runs through 2021-22. Miller, who put up 29 points in 65 games for Vegas last year, has just four assists and only got into the previous four games due to the number of injuries at the forward position. “We thought he’s been really strong the last few days, which is one of the reasons we ended up going with seven D over the last period of time,” Krueger said. “It’s just the way we see the pairs. Right through the lineup, we’re looking for a little familiarity right now in the group.”
  • Despite the Detroit Red Wings troubles in the standings, MLive’s Ansar Khan writes the team remains thrilled that forward Dylan Larkin seems to be emerging from his slump. After being held seven games without a point, Larkin posted a goal and an assist Saturday for the second straight game, giving him four points in two games. The team is thrilled with his drive despite the team’s struggles. “His drive’s great,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think he’s done a good job of staying with it when we’ve gotten down. I think he’s been one of the guys to be a catalyst to not let us sink … His determination is probably one of his best attributes. He showed it there at the end.”

 

Injury Notes: Bruins, Sabourin, Juolevi

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When the Boston Bruins placed Torey Krug on injured reserve earlier today, it was more a reflection of their injury-riddled lineup than it was the extent of his injury and timeline for recovery. While Krug is expected to miss at least a couple more games with an upper-body injury, the Bruins could not afford to wait that long to bring up reinforcements. Yet, the team had already recalled rookie Urho Vaakanainen to sub in for Krug, so it was veteran forward Paul Carey getting the all from AHL Providence. As it turns out, that move was made in response to Patrice Bergeron needing to take a seat tonight, as Boston hosts the Washington Capitals. Head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke to the media about the situation, indicating that Bergeron is dealing with a nagging lower-body injury, a frequent issue for the star center over the past few seasons, and the team feels that giving him the night off in the second game of a back-to-back may help to prevent the injury from lingering. Bergeron is considered day-to-day, but this is likely a case of load management and he could return to the lineup as soon as the team’s next game on Tuesday.

In more encouraging news for the injury-plagued Bruins, Cassidy noted that Krug skated this morning, as did forwards Jake DeBrusk and Brett Ritchie and defenseman John Moore, who has yet to play this season. Cassidy stated that Ritchie is the closest to returning and could be in play for Tuesday as well. The potential returns of Ritchie, DeBrusk, and Moore sooner rather than later would allow the Bruins to return to some state of normalcy, as they currently are lining up with an entire line – Carey, Par Lindholm, and Trent Frederic – of players who were not expected to have a regular role in Boston this season. The Bruins have done relatively well for themselves to not allow injuries to slow them down too much this season, but the team has struggled this past week or so and improved health would help to get them back on track.

  • Among the Bruins not yet ready to resume skating are Kevan Miller, Karson Kuhlman, Zach Senyshyn, and David Backes. Backes has been out since early November following a violent collision with Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin, which left the latter hospitalized. There is no time table for Backes’ return, and the same goes for Sabourin. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the journeyman grinder has finally resumed working out, but exclusively off the ice. Sabourin has not been cleared to resume skating and the Senators have not released any details on when to expect him to return to play. While Backes’ history with head injuries it what is keeping him off the ice, it was very evident from the collision that it was Sabourin who received the more serious hit to the head and is likely dealing with a severe concussion.
  • Another season, another setback for Vancouver Canucks’ defensive prospect Olli Juolevi. Canucks GM Jim Benning announced that Juolevi has been removed from the roster of the AHL’s Utica Comets and is on his way to Vancouver to undergo medical testing. Although all reports out of Utica were that Juolevi’s recent absences from practice were precautionary, the status quo has clearly changed, as he is now expected to miss considerable time. This is purportedly a new lower-body injury plaguing Juolevi, unrelated to the issue that cost him all but 18 AHL games last year. The 2016 No. 5 overall pick seems as far away from making his NHL debut as ever before and it’s fair to begin wondering if he will ever be an impact player in Vancouver.

Snapshots: Milano, Bergeron, Krejci, Officials

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One way or another, Sonny Milano’s time in Columbus could be drawing to a close. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline writes that the Blue Jackets are ready to move on from the talented, but inconsistent winger. Milano, 23, was a 2014 first-round pick who entered the pro ranks with high expectations. However, in the years since Milano has struggled to stick in Columbus. He played in just seven combined NHL games in his first two seasons and played in only eight games last year, with a 55-game 2017-18 campaign sandwiched in between. Yet, even in that season Milano had a hard time with consistency and work ethic, scoring in bunches for a total 22 points. It was a major step forward for the prospect, but wasn’t exactly a season that left the Blue Jackets with visions of grandeur. As such, his regression last season was far from a surprise. Portzline notes that while Milano has struggled, rookies Emil Bemstrom and Alexandre Texier have passed him up on the organizational depth chart. For the first time this season, Milano is no longer waiver exempt, but there doesn’t seem to be much room for him on the NHL roster. Portzline feels that on raw talent alone a team would be likely to take a chance on him via waivers. Unsurprisingly, he reports that Columbus would prefer to trade him rather than lose him on the wire. If they are successful, such a move would likely be occurring by the start of the regular season next week.

  • While the Blue Jackets are anticipating the departure of Milano, the Bruins are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Patrice Bergeron. The team’s top center has been sidelined for much of training camp with a lingering groin injury, but Boston held out hope that he would be ready for the start of the regular season. After steadily increasing his participation in practice over the last week, the team announced that Bergeron is expected to see his first (and only) preseason action in Chicago on Saturday. This is very positive news for the Bruins, as many questioned whether Bergeron would even be ready to begin the real season, nevertheless healthy enough to play in an exhibition game. The timing could not be better either, as No. 2 center David Krejci suffered an injury in the team’s preseason contest on Monday night and he availability to begin the year is now in question. Head coach Bruce Cassidy does not believe the injury to be serious, but the team will take their time with Krejci. Boston is better prepared for the absence of a top-six center this year than in years past with Charlie Coyle in the fold, but it would be a tough start to the year if both Bergeron and Krejci were sidelined for the Bruins.
  • After the NHL and the Officials’ Association agreed to terms on a new contract on Friday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the officials have voted to ratify the proposed deal. The NHL owners must now do the same, although the vote is expected to be consistent. A new, four-year deal between the league and its on-ice officials will be formalized before the start of the season, avoiding any drama to take away from the beginning of a new campaign.

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