OT:Back in the Saddle Again

For the past few years, the Bruins have been increasingly relying on young talent to rebuild their team after many abysmal seasons. Arguably one of the best set of blades on the team belongs to Patrice Bergeron. When Patrice Bergeron was drafted by the Bruins back in 2003, I immediately took notice, not because I thought he was a great pick , but mainly because he has the best birthday (July 24th which coincidentally enough, is the same as mine) and his name was Patrice, which I found very amusing at the time. However, he soon earned my respect in the 2003-2004 season as he led the Bruins with 31 goals and was second on the team with number of assists. He continued to build and craft his talent. A year this past Monday, Bergeron was forced to sit out for the season after Randy Jones of the Flyers slammed him into the boards deep in the corner while Bergeron attempted to retrieve a puck, resulting in a GradeIII concussion. He was due to come back in time for the playoffs in April, but the damn Habs knocked the Bruins out one game before Bergeron was due back.

Many people, myself included, wondered if he would ever really recover from the concussion. Not only did he have a severe head injury, but he missed an entire season of games which could result in a loss of skill on the ice. His first few games of the season seemed to support the theory that it would take him a long time, if ever, to come back after such a severe injury. But luckily, the naysayers seem to be wrong - Patrice is back and as good as ever. With Bergeron back, the Bruins stand a better chance this year. Contributing at least 30 goals for the three years before his injury, it was a major setback to have him out for last season. Just three days before the one year anniversary of his injury, Bergeron scored in the first period against the Maple Leafs. They went on to lose 4-2, but Bergeron did what he did best - gave the team an early advantage. Last night against the flames, he once again gave the Bruins an early advantage, scoring in the first period to put the Bruins up 1-0. However, due to shotty puck handling in their defensive zone and refs who were calling every minor infraction, the Bruins continuously turned over the puck to the Flames, the Bruins gave the Flames several Power plays , allowing them to score 3 goals.

I'm looking forward to watching him this season. Hopefully his teammates can get their head in the game