Bergeron hailed by 1977-78 Bruins as one of best centers in their history
Record-setting group praises his versatility, impact on teammates
No Boston Bruins center has been better than
Phil Esposito
, who had 1,012 points (459 goals, 553 assists) in 625 games during nine seasons for them. So on the all-time Bruins all-star team, Esposito slots in easily.
But second-line center?
What about Patrice Bergeron?
"Boy, they've had some pretty good players," former Boston center Peter McNab said Tuesday at an event honoring the 40th anniversary of the 1977-78 Bruins, who had 11 players who scored at least 20 goals, the most in NHL history. "It's a tough one. If you were to put together your all-time Bruins team, you've got to have Phil as your best, as your No. 1 centerman. But then Bergeron] would be that [No.] 2, 3, probably 2 center for that team.
"Because he can play with anyone and they're better, and he can obviously hold his own against the best that ever played. So I would think he would be right there on that all-Bruin team if there ever was one."
***[RELATED: [Bruins honor 11 20-goal scorers from 1977-78 season]*
The numbers are starting to make sense with regard to this lofty placement. In his 14th NHL season -- he made the Bruins as an 18-year-old in 2003-04 -- Bergeron is fifth in games played for Boston (949). He is seventh in goals scored (286, three away from tying Ken Hodge for sixth), seventh in assists (436) and seventh in points (722).
He is second in points by a Bruins center behind, of course, Esposito.
And though Bergeron, in typical understated fashion, will attribute those numbers only to longevity, to being able to play for the Bruins for the entirety of his career, that is clearly not the only reason he has reached those heights already, at 32 years old.
"When you get to that level it's hard to split hairs as to who is much better than the other guy," said center Gregg Sheppard, one of the 20-goal scorers on those 1977-78 Bruins, "but you talk some of the centermen that they've had here in Boston, Phil Esposito, how much he scored, then Bergeron won't be very far behind him. I don't think you can go wrong with either one of them."
The comparison most of them land on is Jean Ratelle. After playing 16 seasons with the New York Rangers, who will retire his No. 19 on Feb. 25, Ratelle finished his Hall of Fame career in Boston before becoming an assistant and a scout for the Bruins.
Ratelle, another member of that 1977-78 Bruins team, chuckled when asked if he sees himself in Bergeron, and joked that he never saw himself play very much.
But he, too, said he believes he's witnessing greatness.
"You see somebody who really knows how to play his position well," said Ratelle, who played six seasons for the Bruins (1975-81). "He's very good defensively, he knows where to be. He knows how to help the defense, never gets beat 1-on-1 and he's always open for the defenseman to give him the puck, which is another big thing, and of course offensively -- he's great offensively too."
He mentioned the hard work, the dedication, the ability to play for 60 minutes and handle that mentally and physically.
Those were all qualities his teammates saw in Ratelle.
"He reminds me a lot of Jean Ratelle," former Bruins forward Rick Middleton said of Bergeron. "Somebody asked me yesterday to describe in one word Jean Ratelle, and I said 'perfect.' I think he's the perfect hockey player. I don't ever remember seeing him get knocked down. … Without being a real physical player, he was just so strong on the puck and with the puck. And Bergeron's the same way."
But it's subtle, his game. It's hardly the in-your-face dynamism of, say, Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid. That's not the way Bergeron plays. His game is quieter.
"He's one of those guys that you can see why he went so long without maybe getting the notoriety that he's getting because it's so effortless how the other team doesn't score when he's on the ice," McNab said. "You can't quite figure out how, and then all of a sudden you break it down a little bit, he was here, he was here, he was here.
"He's a sensational hockey player and he's won a Stanley Cup (in 2011), he's won the Olympics (2010, 2014). He just wins. I think for anybody that plays hockey, those guys that -- [Sidney] Crosby -- that win, that have the ability to raise their game, those are the special guys, and he's just one of those special guys."
It is always difficult to compare players across years, across decades, but there is a consensus regarding Bergeron, a player who has taken his already impressive game to another level this season, and is in the conversation for the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP, with former Bruins coach Don Cherry throwing his support behind him Tuesday: Bergeron is not a product of his era.
He would have done in well in the 1970s, with the group honored Tuesday. He could have played before that, too, and perhaps in future iterations of what the NHL will become.
"He's a generational player," McNab said. "He could have played anytime. Those are the guys that always fascinate me. Because his skill set is [such that] he could have done it, he could have been Gregg Sheppard. He could have been Jean Ratelle."
And perhaps he would have scored even more than he has, had he played in a high-flying era. Ratelle, for instance, scored 491 goals in 20 seasons and had 40 or more goals twice.
Scoring has never really been the key for Bergeron, who has won the Selke Trophy four times as the NHL's best defensive forward. Still, the center has had three 30-goal seasons, including his NHL career-high of 32 in 2015-16, and it is almost certain that he will exceed that high this season; he has 27 goals in 50 games, with 27 remaining.
"There's more than just scoring," Ratelle said. "You can help the team in many, many ways, and scoring is one of them. Helping your teammates to produce is another way to do things."
The idea that he makes those around him better is bolstered by his longtime linemate Brad Marchand. With Bergeron as his center, Marchand's game has soared. The left wing scored 37 goals in 2015-16 and 39 last season. With 21 in 42 games this season, Marchand is on pace for 34.
So he's not at all interested in seeing Bergeron retire anytime soon.
"He's still got another 10 [years] to go," Marchand said.
Asked later about that number, which would take Bergeron to age 42, Marchand laughed and said, "He knows that. He's playing at least until I'm done."
Because who wouldn't want to play with Bergeron, a center who makes you better, who elevates your play and your numbers and who, even with those years to go, is among the best centers the Bruins -- with their long and distinguished history -- have ever seen?
