Patrice Bergeron Details Pre-Deadline Talk With Linus Ullmark
'It was just to show support in a way'
Patrice Bergeron no longer plays for the Bruins, but he’s still serving as a leader of sorts to his former Boston teammates.
Bergeron recently reconnected with Linus Ullmark, who was rumored to be on the trading block leading up to the NHL’s March 8 deadline. The Bruins ultimately hung onto last season’s Vezina Trophy winner, who clearly was impacted by all of the rumors and chatter flying around before the deadline passed.
But Bergeron, who played two seasons with Ullmark in Boston, helped put the veteran goaltender at ease while his future still was uncertain.
“With Linus, for me, it was just to show support in a way,” Bergeron told The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him and his family. He’s got kids enrolled in school. I’m sure his head was spinning. If it was going to happen, it’s like, ‘OK, what do I do? My kids are in school. My wife is here.’ Then you start thinking too much. Sometimes, it’s not even what you say. It’s more just to be there to listen and for him to open up and talk about it. I don’t think I said anything crazy. It was more just to have a conversation and open up.”
Ullmark acknowledged he was “very happy” to not be traded by the Bruins, and he’s performed like a more relaxed player since the deadline passed. The 30-year-old only allowed four goals in his last three starts — all wins — and made 30-plus saves in two of those outings.
There aren’t many netminders in the league better than Ullmark when he’s at his best. And now that he has regained peace of mind, he could help Boston stage a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
