Patrice Bergeron made a special appearance at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday, working on the ice with Bruins forwards Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie ahead of the team’s full practice.
It is not the first time the retired Bruins captain has come in to work with the current roster under coach Marco Sturm, who played alongside Bergeron from 2005 to 2010.
“I try to get him in here once in a while, just to give those guys a few tips,” Sturm said. “He is the best. I just want to take that opportunity to pick his brain.”
Bergeron focused on power play positioning and face-off work with the young forwards. For Minten, a 21-year-old center who aspires to be the kind of two-way player Bergeron was, the session was invaluable.
“He knows a lot more than I do,” Minten said. “Anytime you can learn from one of the best, you’re going to try to.”
Geekie said Bergeron’s approach to the bumper position on the power play was something he had long admired.
“He kind of revolutionized how that was played, being a threat to score as well as supporting all over,” Geekie said. “It’s always good when you have a legend like that teach you some things.”
Bergeron is a six-time Selke Trophy winner and ranks third on the Bruins’ all-time scoring list with 1,040 points. He played his entire 19-season career in Boston and won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2011 before retiring after the 2022-23 season.
When asked whether Bergeron might eventually take on a more formal coaching role, Sturm gave a telling answer.
“My feel, I would say yes,” Sturm said. “Just not now. He’s way too busy.”
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