The Boston Bruins are doing very well without Patrice Bergeron, but Brad Marchand would like to see his old partner on the ice again.
It would be surprising to see the Quebecer back in the National Hockey League, at least as a player, as he apparently thought long and hard about his decision last summer. Bergeron ended his career after 19 seasons and while he sometimes misses hockey, he believes he made the right decision, he told NHL.com in November.
“Bergy [Bergeron]I think he's annoyed with how often I push him to come back. He's excited about what's coming, so I'm trying not to be too hard on him,” said Marchand, who was a guest on the popular Pat McAfee Show, on Thursday.
I don't think the two men have stopped communicating even though they are no longer teammates. Marchand is Bergeron's successor as captain of the Bruins, and he listened carefully to his friend's advice.
“I talk to him about it all the time. Raymond Bourque also contacted me several times. The people who came through there left quite a legacy. They want to continue to help the team and that makes them proud,” explained the 35-year-old.
“It's a lot of pressure following a guy like Bergy,” Marchand continued. Not just Bergy, but also Z [Zdeno Chara] in front of him. These two guys were two of the best captains, not just for our team, but in the history of this sport. It was stressful to follow in those footsteps.”
Marchand has to make do with the “C” stitched on his jersey pretty well, as the Bruins sit atop the Atlantic Division at midseason. Before the game on Thursday evening, the left winger now had 33 points in 36 games.