Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron just finished the best regular season of his career, and he’ll be recognized for that at the NHL’s awards ceremony. He could even end up adding to his trophy case.
Bergeron was one of three finalists announced Thursday for the Selke Trophy, which is given annually to the “forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings are the other two finalists for the award.
Bergeron, widely considered one of the most defensively responsible centers in the game, was a staggering plus-38 this season while being matched up against some of the game’s best players. The center also won 58.6 percent of his draws as he continued to uphold his reputation as one of the top faceoff men in the league. His 1,015 faceoff wins were the most by any player in the last seven seasons.
Advanced stats also support Bergeron’s case for the award. Bergeron’s 9.7 Corsi relative — a number that measures puck possessions based on shot attempts for and against — was tops among forwards.
Bergeron has won the Selke once before, taking home the hardware following the 2011-12 season.
