Why This Quebec-Born Patriots Rookie Rooted For Patrice Bergeron

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Sidy Sow's favorite professional sports team is the team that drafted him: the New England Patriots.

But a close second is the Montreal Canadiens, whom Sow loved while growing up in Granby, Quebec. As such, the rookie offensive lineman probably isn't a huge fan of the Boston Bruins.

"Till the day I die," Sow said of his Canadiens fandom after being selected by New England in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

However, Sow's love for the Canadiens doesn't prevent him from admiring Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron, who grew up in a Quebec City suburb and retired last summer after 19 remarkable years in Boston.

"You always want the best for guys that are from Quebec," Sow, who speaks fluent French, recently told NESN.com. "Of course, he played for the Bruins. Like, deep down in my heart, like, 'Ah, I wish he could've played for the Montreal Canadians.'

"But at the same time, with the success he had, the career he had, you can't be mad at it. You can only respect it."

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Bergeron is one of those rare athletes whom fans on the other side of a rivalry wish would play for their team. Think Derek Jeter and Boston Red Sox fans. Maybe.

But for Sow, the respect for Bergeron is all about provincial pride.

"Yeah. It's the same thing for any guys from Quebec," said Sow, who played his high school ball in Quebec for playing collegiately at Eastern Michigan. "A guy who goes to another team, and then becomes so successful and has a great career, kind of shines a light on where you're from. You respect the hell out of that, at the end of the day, more than any despise over another team because of a rivalry."

Sow acknowledged his hockey fandom waivered a bit as he grew older, but his love for the Canadiens endured.

"Growing up, I was a very big hockey fan," he said. " ... When I got to college I kind of stepped away from it because it was kind of hard to get the games. So, in the past six years, I probably haven't been following it as much. But deep down in my heart, I've always been a big Montreal Canadiens fan."

Most people probably wouldn't look at Sow, who registers at 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds, and see a hockey player. But make no mistake: As a kid growing up in Canada, he never was too far from a sheet of ice.

"I played a lot," Sow said. "In school, all of my friends would go to the ice rink, put skates on, sticks, and just play ice hockey until our parents get mad at us and tell us to come back in."

Obviously, this football thing has worked out for Sow, who's started six games for the Patriots as a rookie right guard. And, despite being moved around the line during training camp, Sow has settled in at his primary position and shown real promise.

Like Bergeron before him, Sow is doing his best to make Québécois proud.

"I just want to show that it's possible and that football in Canada is serious," Sow said after getting drafted. "People have to take a good look at it because I'm not the only one."

So far, mission accomplished.