“Only award that I have” – Bruins skipper Patrice Bergeron wins Selke Trophy as best defensive forward


“Only award that I have” – Bruins skipper Patrice Bergeron wins Selke Trophy as best defensive forward

Patrice Bergeron

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron on Sunday clinched the Selke Trophy, presented annually to the best forward who excels in the defensive aspects of the game as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The Boston 36-year-old National Hockey League (NHL) won the award for a record fifth time.

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He’s now tied with the former Canadian player Bob Gainey, who won it four times with the Montreal Canadiens from 1977-81. The L’Ancienne-Lorette native was presented with this year’s award by none other than Doug Jarvis, the 1984 winner with the Washington Capitals. 

It’s definitely an honour,” Bergeron said, as quoted by NHL.com. “I think I’m humbled, that’s the first word that comes to mind. It is an individual award but obviously, you can’t get any of those without the help of your teammates. Been fortunate to play on great teams and win five Selkes and yeah, it goes to them obviously. As I said, it’s humbling. It’s the only award that I have.”

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“That’s the way I want to play the game” 

Patrice Bergeron
Patrice Bergeron

Bergeron, who has 982 points (400 goals, 582 assists) in 1,216 regular-season games, also has 127 points (49 goals, 78 assists) in 167 playoff games, including helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011.

The 11 in a row, as a player, I think you want to be a consistent player, you want to be known as a consistent player, so yes it’s nice to be recognized that way,” he said. “But I’ve said many times, that’s the way I’ve learned to play the game and that’s the way I want to play the game. I don’t think I would’ve changed the way I play on the ice or the way I would’ve done it for the last 18, 19 years now.”

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