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Thom Yorke · 01-08-2014, 02:50 PM

I'm a massive Bergeron fan so I'm obviously biased and this is going to be very long-winded, but the guy is incredible. He got injured in the first game last Olympics (groin) and missed a few games when he got back to the NHL, so you didn't see near the best of him last Olympics.

I know Ninetales goes by all the advanced stats and I don't swear by them by any means, but what he's saying really does echo what he's all about. His line always goes up against the best players on the other team every night (for example, he was exclusively used to shut down Crosby last playoffs, and Chara took Malkin), and they consistently get the puck cleanly out of their own zone and pin other teams in their own d-zones. He's always been like that, and it doesn't matter who he's playing with.

I consider him the most complete player in hockey. He does everything at least "well" and he does some things (defensive play for a forward, positioning, faceoffs, PK ability for a forward, game-to-game consistency, play along the boards) better than basically anyone. I look at other top two-way forwards like Toews and Datysuk and just don't see the same thing when it comes to defense. Those two get a lot of attention because of their offensive prowess to be sure, but I think their defensive games get overrated based on more of the "glamour" type defensive plays like stripping the puck off people, or making a last second backcheck. Bergeron's got some of that in him as well, but he's so good mainly because his positioning is impeccable, and I've never seen someone read the play or be in the right position more at both ends of the ice.

The only real weaknesses he has are that he isn't very fast (although he's still very agile), and he does not take many risks, which may curb his point totals. He still makes a ton of good misdirection passes, but usually looks for the safe play above all else (ie. getting the puck deep, keeping the cycle going, or simply getting the puck on the net).

There's no doubt that his offensive production is being curbed because of the way he plays and the way he is used. If there is a faceoff in the defensive zone, he's always out there. He logs a ridiculous amount of PK time relative to other top 6 forwards, and I'm sure how often he's put in offensive situations is much less than almost any other top line center. Boston is basically nothing but defensive-minded forwards, and when healthy, they have 8 or 9 capable PK forwards, but the Bruins continually insist on sending out their top center first and most often.

And all that's not even considering how he's played in the playoffs. It's cliche to say, but he's a guy you just have to watch all the time to fully appreciate. It's kind of frustrating to see so many people not get how good the guy really is (you're not the first person to question why a guy on pace for 50 points is making the team over Art Ross trophy winners, believe me), but I can't blame them because no one is going to watch all, or even a considerable amount of Bruins games unless they're a Bruins fan. And then when you try to explain to people why he's so good (like I'm doing right now), you just come across as a homer trying to defend your meager 20 goal, 60 point center. If you ask any knowledgeable Boston fan who the best Bruin is, basically every single one will say Bergeron, whereas if you ask people around the league who they think is the best Bruin they'll probably say Chara, Rask, or maybe even Krejci or Lucic. That essentially sums up what he's about.

You can't really show his value in a highlight video, but this one at least shows some of his all-around capabilities.

01-08-2014, 02:50 PM	#1651 (permalink)
Thom Yorke Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,848	I'm a massive Bergeron fan so I'm obviously biased and this is going to be very long-winded, but the guy is incredible. He got injured in the first game last Olympics (groin) and missed a few games when he got back to the NHL, so you didn't see near the best of him last Olympics. I know Ninetales goes by all the advanced stats and I don't swear by them by any means, but what he's saying really does echo what he's all about. His line always goes up against the best players on the other team every night (for example, he was exclusively used to shut down Crosby last playoffs, and Chara took Malkin), and they consistently get the puck cleanly out of their own zone and pin other teams in their own d-zones. He's always been like that, and it doesn't matter who he's playing with. I consider him the most complete player in hockey. He does everything at least "well" and he does some things (defensive play for a forward, positioning, faceoffs, PK ability for a forward, game-to-game consistency, play along the boards) better than basically anyone. I look at other top two-way forwards like Toews and Datysuk and just don't see the same thing when it comes to defense. Those two get a lot of attention because of their offensive prowess to be sure, but I think their defensive games get overrated based on more of the "glamour" type defensive plays like stripping the puck off people, or making a last second backcheck. Bergeron's got some of that in him as well, but he's so good mainly because his positioning is impeccable, and I've never seen someone read the play or be in the right position more at both ends of the ice. The only real weaknesses he has are that he isn't very fast (although he's still very agile), and he does not take many risks, which may curb his point totals. He still makes a ton of good misdirection passes, but usually looks for the safe play above all else (ie. getting the puck deep, keeping the cycle going, or simply getting the puck on the net). There's no doubt that his offensive production is being curbed because of the way he plays and the way he is used. If there is a faceoff in the defensive zone, he's always out there. He logs a ridiculous amount of PK time relative to other top 6 forwards, and I'm sure how often he's put in offensive situations is much less than almost any other top line center. Boston is basically nothing but defensive-minded forwards, and when healthy, they have 8 or 9 capable PK forwards, but the Bruins continually insist on sending out their top center first and most often. And all that's not even considering how he's played in the playoffs. It's cliche to say, but he's a guy you just have to watch all the time to fully appreciate. It's kind of frustrating to see so many people not get how good the guy really is (you're not the first person to question why a guy on pace for 50 points is making the team over Art Ross trophy winners, believe me), but I can't blame them because no one is going to watch all, or even a considerable amount of Bruins games unless they're a Bruins fan. And then when you try to explain to people why he's so good (like I'm doing right now), you just come across as a homer trying to defend your meager 20 goal, 60 point center. If you ask any knowledgeable Boston fan who the best Bruin is, basically every single one will say Bergeron, whereas if you ask people around the league who they think is the best Bruin they'll probably say Chara, Rask, or maybe even Krejci or Lucic. That essentially sums up what he's about. You can't really show his value in a highlight video, but this one at least shows some of his all-around capabilities.