“A perfect second center”: Boston sports radio discredits Patrice Bergeron

Yesterday morning, Patrice Bergeron confirmed what the field hockey world had been expecting for some time: the Bruins captain has officially retired after an illustrious career.

And, unsurprisingly, one of the most respected guys on the circuit was showered with tributes from the four corners of the league.

But clearly, it was in Boston that he made a particular impression on fans. You can’t write Bruins history without talking about the great #37, and forever, he’ll be recognized as an immortal there.

Yet, while everyone was busy celebrating Bergeron’s great career yesterday, the Felger & Mazz radio show, which airs on a Boston radio station, instead took the opportunity to… discredit the player:

In my eyes, Patrice Bergeron wasn’t a first center: he was a perfect second center.

It’s a phrase that came across yesterday on their show, when for nearly 10 minutes, the two hosts decided, for whatever reason, to undermine the career of one of the organization’s greats.

And they themselves admit that Bergeron is a Bruins legend, but rather than celebrate, they did the opposite.

Because, indeed, it goes far beyond simply calling him a “second center”:

He was really overrated in Boston: he was good, but he wasn’t great.

Nothing less.

They insist that Bergeron has never won anything as first center (he was second center in 2011), while obviously forgetting that it takes a whole team to win and that he took his team to the finals in 2019 against the Blues.

And then he was compared to another center:

He’s never been at Jonathan Toews’ level.

This one particularly surprised me, because in reality, Bergeron was superior to Toews defensively, as well as offering fairly similar offensive production.

I don’t have a problem with anyone thinking Toews is a little superior to Bergeron, but we agree that they’re very similar.

That said, there may be another reason for this statement: clearly, the two hosts don’t seem to be very happy with the fact that the club hasn’t really won with him:

If he really was on the level of Toews and Crosby, he’s either overrated or chokeish. I tend to lean towards the first option.

And don’t forget to consider the core around him: while Toews was banking on Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby was pairing with Evgeni Malkin, Bergeron wasn’t always so lucky.

He may have played with a guy like Brad Marchand (with whom he excelled) later in his career, but he wasn’t always surrounded by a team of stars.

And while Bergeron has consistently been recognized for his class, the two hosts aren’t as fervent about it, it seems:

I wish he were more talented and less respected.

Big fans of sportsmanship, I guess.

I have to confess that these comments are beyond me, personally. At the very least, if they’d been made in a market where there’s a Bruins rival (like Montreal or Toronto), it might almost have passed (even if it would have been pretty ordinary), but the fact that it’s being done in Boston shocks me even more.

Clearly, not everyone in Boston was impressed by #37’s class.

In gusts

– Speaking of Bergeron.

Montrealers pay tribute to Patrice Bergeron at @theLSHL yesterday ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IdYdAhdhci

– Habs Fan TV (@HabsFanTV_) July 26, 2023

– Cam Neely confirmed (unsurprisingly) that #37 will be retired in Boston.

– Indeed.

– Signature in Colorado.

– It’s understandable.