That somebody was Patrice Bergeron.
Though he's only 24 years old, he's been a member of the Bruins since before the lockout. Appropriately, the B's longest-tenured player was the one who best represented the spoked B over the past week.
"He led the way for us," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara told The Associated Press about Bergeron after Thursday night's 5-1 win in Philadelphia. "It's really hard to replace Marc. He's a unique player, an unbelievable playmaker. Patrice is realizing he has to carry the offense, and he's doing a really good job. He's really playing on top of his game."
In Thursday's win, Bergeron set up linemate Mark Recchi for the second goal of the night before scoring an insurance goal of his own six minutes later. He picked up another assist in the third period for good measure. The three points lifted his season total to 43, putting him well above Chara (35) for the team lead.
In the Bruins' overtime loss to Toronto, Bergeron had another good night on the ice, registering a goal and an assist. In his four games since returning from an Olympic injury, he has six points and a plus-5 rating.
Statistics aside, Bergeron seems to be taking on a leadership role in the dressing room. Getting praise from the captain is always a good sign, and it's proof that Bergeron has been as worthy as anyone this season to wear the "C" on his chest.
