Patrice Bergeron Disappointed That He Won't Get One Final Olympic Experience
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patrice Bergeron has a pair of gold medals from his two Olympic experiences with Team Canada. The 36-year-old Bruins captain was hoping for a third shot at gold come February, but that was taken away from him when the NHL decided it was backing out of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The league made the decision last week as postponements around the NHL piled up amid a surge of COVID-19 cases. The Boston Bruins were among the teams hit hard by the virus, and won't play again until after the calendar flips to 2022. With all those make-up games leaving the NHL shuffling, the league decided to use its Olympic break window to reschedule those contests.
It means that several NHL stars now won't be able to go for gold with their home country. Bergeron voiced his own disappointment with the decision, echoing what some of his Boston teammates said last week.
"I would have gone. It would have been my last chance to experience it," Bergeron told reporters Monday after the Bruins hit the practice ice in Brighton. "I was there twice and got to live it; I feel for the guys who haven't had a chance and this would have been their last chance to go. I really do.
"It's disappointing as an athlete and as a competitor. You want to be part of those events," he continued. "I was fortunate enough to do it twice and to live it and experience it, get some amazing memories out of it."
Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said last week that nearly all Bruins players who were selected to play in the Olympics still would have gone overseas amid the concerns surrounding COVID-19. Bergeron said that was the case with him as well.
"I had some question marks about what was going on in the world and the outbreaks, leaving my family behind. But I discussed it with my wife; it was my last chance and I wanted to be a part of it," he said.
Bergeron, who is vaccinated, is just coming off his own bout with COVID-19. He said that he had a mild case that left him feeling tired for a couple of days, but it wasn't too long before he was back on his feet.
"I was able to work out after maybe four days. I starting working out again slowly and then ramped it up by the end," said Bergeron. "I didn't feel too bad yesterday; little rusty after not being on the ice for 10-11 days. So just trying to get rhythm back, but otherwise my lungs and conditioning felt pretty good."
The Bruins have not played since Dec. 16, and will have had six games postponed by the time they play again on Jan. 1 against Buffalo. Bergeron is hopeful that everyone on the team used the impromptu break to recharge before a grueling stretch the rest of the way.
"We have to make the best of it," he said. "Resting and making sure we recharge the batteries and making sure we're ready for the rest of the year. It's going to be a lot of games in not a lot of days."