Waiting is the hardest part for Patrice Bergeron.
The Boston Bruins center revealed to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday what the most difficult aspect of the pause in the 2019-20 NHL season has been for him.
The Bruins were the NHL’s top team March 12 when the league announced it would pause the season due to the coronavirus outbreak. And Bergeron, 34, admits he’s struggling to cope with the uncertainty over how and when the season will conclude.
“I think as you get older you realize that you need to make the most of every opportunity since they might not come by often,” Bergeron said. “That being said, this is out of our control. What should be on our minds right now is everyone’s safety. Still, it is hard knowing that we have a great team, not certain if there will be a playoff and a Stanley Cup to compete for.”
Bergeron offers a valuable glimpse into the current reality of athletes, whose pursuits of glory the COVID-19 outbreak abruptly interrupted earlier this month.
NHL players and staff are expected to be self-quarantined until April 6. However that date doesn’t mean a resumption of competition is imminent, as the league still is trying to determine whether to play through the summer months and/or adopt altered playoff format to determine this season’s champion.
