Patrice Bergeron’s two-way mastery earns Hall of Fame place

Bergeron, 41, is set to join the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on November 9, more than 23 years after arriving in Boston as an 18-year-old second-round draft pick. His six Selke Trophies, awarded to the NHL’s top defensive forward, stand out among the honors from his 19 seasons with the Bruins.

He also finished with 1,040 regular-season points and led the NHL from 2003 to 2023 in faceoffs taken, faceoff victories and winning percentage. Edmonton star Connor McDavid praised Bergeron’s defensive awareness, faceoff ability and offensive contribution, calling him a difficult opponent. Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin compared him with former Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk, while former NHL executive Brian Burke pointed to Ron Francis as the closest parallel.

Bergeron began his Boston career on the wing, then spent the 2004-05 lockout season with AHL Providence. In 2007, early in his first season back, he suffered a serious concussion after being hit into the boards by Philadelphia’s Randy Jones. He returned the following season and continued playing for more than eight years under coach Claude Julien, who described him as the most dependable two-way player he had coached.

Bergeron also won international gold with Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, the 2010 world championship and the 2016 World Cup, as well as at the world junior championship. Coaches and fellow players have credited his versatility, work ethic and willingness to help teammates as defining features of his game. He is among the Hall’s incoming inductees, with Burke also entering in the Builders category.