An emotional victory for Patrice Bergeron

Some of the qualifying moments go beyond hockey. This was clearly the case during the warm embrace between Patrice Bergeron and Zdino Sharra after the rash Capitals were eliminated in five matches at the hands of the Bruins. Two great captains, now rivals, had 14 previous seasons in the same organization.

The former Bruins captain, who has catapulted to the capitals, may have played his last season in his career at 44.

The person who succeeded him in Boston understands the impact Scra has had on his progress and will not miss the opportunity to greet him properly on the ice. Instead of a purely formal handshake, the two proud soldiers took the opportunity to give each other a warm hug and exchange kind words.

“In the end, it was a special moment to see him on the other side and take some time with him. Of course, I’ll always be grateful for everything he did for the organization, but also for me.” Bergeron said, in a phone interview with him, “I was young when he arrived in Boston. And I learned a lot from him. ” Newspaper.

“We became a good couple and they helped each other a lot. He and I have become friends outside of hockey players and this is not the end. We will continue to see each other, no matter what happens next. His family is still in Boston. It was still a different handshake. We played together. For fourteen years, there is a special bond between us. “

Not a distraction

In his first season with knitting a “C” on his Bruins shirt, Bergeron says he didn’t feel any extra pressure to face his mentor in the playoffs.

“It was special, but now you are just trying to stay in your game and control what you can do as a team. We played eight games in the regular season against the capitals, so it definitely helped us prepare. Zdino’s face in the first game of the season was much more special than it was in The qualifiers, he said, “There is a sense of the customs that have already been incorporated.”

It must be said that in a natural way, Bergeron actually took on a big role at leading the Bruins even before the transfer was official.

“I stay natural and apply the same leadership as in the past. I’m still learning and using the help that I have with all the other leaders in the locker room. I make sure they get the status they deserve to be good leaders too. It’s my way of doing things. Regardless of the message,” no changes.

Stage

While Bruins is the ultimate winner in five matches, three matches have required extra time and Bergeron enjoys being on the right side of the fence.

“We had very close matches. Winning everything was difficult and it could have gone one way or the other. Of course we’re happy with the turn of events. They have had times where they made big payouts by controlling the match, but everyone stayed positive and helped us deep into our team. I ensured. Our steadfastness we found a way to win even after losing the first match, “said the person who scored four points.

A team with complete confidence

Many questioned before the season if Bruins was ever going to deteriorate. Before the series Against the Capitals, they also inherited the status of the neglected. However, the road continues. “We had confidence in us. We knew that the talent and the experience were there. We also depend on the young people who are growing in the organization, who are improving from year to year and who play an increasingly important role.”

We were aware that there were doubts around us, but internally, we’re not surprised by the result. We’ve been neglected in the predictions, but we know we can do something special with this team. I’ve been in hockey long enough to know the most important thing is Feeling Inside the locker room, “said the indefatigable 35-year-old center.

Feet on the ground

Now Bruins’ Road will continue in the second round against the winner of the series between the Penguins and the Islanders.

If he was proud that his gang had passed through the capitals, Bergeron wouldn’t get caught up in the game of seeing too far in time.

“We believe in us, but since the start of the year, we’ve been building without looking far ahead. It would suddenly be too early to say we’re going for the Cup. We focused on getting a place in the qualifiers and got there, knowing that we’re going to give ourselves a chance to reach our final goal.” In the first round, we paid attention to that and now we move on to the second. “

In the regular season, Bruins was 5-3 against the Penguins and 3-3-2 against Islanders.

“As a competitor, the worst thing you can do is wish for an opponent. We can just let it go. Of course we are watching the games carefully,” he was satisfied with the mention of the Bruins leader.