Having Bergeron On Ice 'Breath Of Fresh Air' For Bruins
BOSTON (CBS) – Patrice Bergeron returned to practice Monday for the Boston Bruins, and his teammates could not be happier.
"It's a breath of fresh air every time you see him," forward Shawn Thornton said of his teammate. "I love having him out there. He's my Irish brother. Every time I go out there it puts a smile on my face. I'm glad to see he is doing pretty well so quickly."
Read: Bergeron Practices, Game 2 Status Unknown
"It's very nice," said rookie Tyler Seguin, who took Bergeron's roster spot. "Everyone feels good that he's making great strides. He looked pretty good out there to me. It's going to be great to have him back."
Bruins Talk About Bergeron's Return To Practice
"He's a great player and he's one of the best players on the team," forward Nathan Horton said. "Hopefully we can get him back, hopefully he's feeling good. I'm not sure of the time line but he's big piece to our puzzle and hopefully we get him back."
Bergeron has been sidelined since May 6 after suffering a mild concussion in Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers. He participated in practice for over an hour on Monday, but did not participate in contact drills.
Read: Bruins-Lightning Eastern Conference Finals Schedule
His status for Tuesday night's Game 2 against the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals is still up in the air, but there is a slight chance he could actually suit up for the game. Coach Claude Julien would not comment on a possible return for Bergeron, but
"It's the protocol that we're going through, and the process that he has to go through, when you see him skate now for a few days and that's basically it," Julien said on Monday. "We don't have anything else more to report because there's nothing else to report in regards to him."
Every game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bruins and Lightning can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub's with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes before each game with the Dunkin Donuts Bruins Pregame show
