What more can you say about Patrice Bergeron? He played in the Stanley Cup Final with a punctured lung and torn cartilage in his side and stayed to talk to the media following the Bruins Game 6 loss in Boston instead of rushing out of the arena to go to a hospital.

He is as classy a player as there is in the National Hockey League and Bergeron is gearing up for his eighth season with the black and gold.

“It’s obviously great to have fun and it does fly,” Bergeron said. “You don’t think about it because of the fact it is so much fun.”

Bergeron is not one of the players on the ice that will scream and yell at his teammates. He is the type of player who will lead by example as fans have seen the past several years.

“I think for me leading by example goes a long way,” Bergeron said. “When you see guys committed, that goes the extra mile for their teammates, I think that goes a really long way and makes me want to do the same thing. You do need some guys that speak up and talk, but Krejci is one of those guys who lead by example and I think he is going to beat great wearing his new ‘A’.”

Bergeron sees himself as a mentor, but knows he wouldn’t be in the position he is today without the help of his teammates.

“I have learned a lot in the years past,” Bergeron said. “I can I guess tell some, one thing or two to the other guys now and I guess stand up and speak now and be a leader on my own and I’ve been doing that for a few years so I think I can keep doing that. Yeah, I think a lot of guys have helped me along the way and I am very grateful for that.”

Bergeron is as consistent of a player as they come nowadays. His play in all three zones speak volumes of the type of player he is.
Bergeron finished the shortened season with 10 goals and 22 assists while leading the team in plus/minus at +24. He capped off the 2013 season with nine goals and six assists in 22 postseason games.

The longest tenured Bruin just inked a new eight-year deal and is worth every single penny not just for his ability, but also for his character, class and leadership.