Patrice Bergeron was born July 24, 1985 in Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec. The second pick, 45th overall selection of the Boston Bruins in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Bergeron is a graduate of the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan. After playing only four games with the Titan in 2002-03, Bergeron tallied 73 points (23-50-73) the following year and impressed the Bruins scouting staff enough to draft him early on in the 2003 Entry Draft. Bergeron turned out to be the surprise of training camp and earned himself a roster spot with the parent club after only one full season of major junior hockey under his belt.
In his first full season with the Bruins, Bergeron finished fifth in rookie scoring with 39 points (16-23-39). His 2006-07 season, however, was short lived. On October 27, 2007 in a regular season game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Bergeron was hit from behind into the boards. The hit left Bergeron with a concussion and broken nose which resulted in his absence from the remainder of the season and NHL playoffs.
On the international stage, Bergeron helped Canada capture gold at the 2004 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic and with the NHL lockout in 2004-05, he was named to Canada's World Junior Team. As the only NHLer on the roster, Bergeron was instrumental in helping Canada capture the Gold Medal and earn tournament MVP honours.
At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Bergeron would again don the maple leaf and would help the Canadian team to the gold medal.
The following season would be another great one for Bergeron as he followed up his Olympic gold medal win with a Stanley Cup championship. He was among the Bruins' leaders at both ends of the rink, finishing second on the club in playoff scoring and being counted on defensively en route to the club's first Stanley Cup win since 1972.
In 2011-12, Bergeron added more silverware to his collection when he was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. Long known as one of the NHL's premier faceoff men, Bergeron led the league with a +36 rating, while blocking 67 shots and recording 55 takeaways. Bergeron became the first Boston Bruins player to win the Selke Trophy since Steve Kaspar was honoured back in 1982.
In 2014 Bergeron was called upon to represent his country once again at the Olympic Winter Games. This time held in Sochi, Russia, the result was more of the same for Bergeron and Canada. They went undefeated during tournament play en route to capturing the country's second consecutive gold medal.
Upon completion of the 2013-14 NHL season, Bergeron was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward for the second time in his career. Renowned for his faceoff ability, Bergeron won over 1,000 draws in 2014 and his +38 rating was second best in the NHL.
Bergeron would star on Canada's top line during the 2016 World Cup of hockey. Paired with Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand, Bergeron scored three times and added four assists. He was the tournament's third-leading scorer (behind only his linemates) and help his homeland to the championship.
During the 2016-17 season, Bergeron would lead the NHL with 1,089 faceoff wins and his winning percentage of 60.1 was third in the league. At season's end he was awarded the Selke Trophy for the fourth time in his career, joining Bob Gainey as the only four-time recipients.
On February 5, 2019 Bergeron skated in his 1,000th career game. He scored a pair of goals, helping the Bruins to a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders. In reaching the milestone, Bergeron became just the fifth player to appear in 1,000 games for the Bruins.
