There are only two postgame versions of Bruins team president Cam Neely.
Depending on the outcome of the game, he’s either smiling or ready to morph into Sea Bass on the elevator ride from the press box. Neely was certainly in a good mood after the Bruins’ 7-1 blow out over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at TD Garden.
During his playing career, the Hall of Famer scored 50 goals in a season three times. When asked after Saturday’s game, how many four-goal games he produced, Neely smiled and touched his index finger and thumb together to read zero.
Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa then asked: “How many five-goal games?” Neely laughed and exited the elevator. Considered one of the most prolific goal scorers of his generation, he never accomplished what Patrice Bergeron did against the Hurricanes – a four-goal night.
Tying to find something unique in a 7-1 blowout can be a challenge at times. Unless, of course, a player produces four goals and adds an assist for a five-point game as Bergeron did. He’s one of the best two-way centermen in the NHL and a four-time Selke Award winner and not one of his teammates takes him for granted.
“It’s not just a night like tonight. It’s every night,” said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. “He does so much for this hockey club, for this organization. Every night he’s working very hard. He plays a 200-foot game. He's done all those little things we asked of him and he goes above and beyond every night. I’m very happy for him for the night that he had and he got rewarded by scoring really nice goals and making great plays."
Like many pro athletes, Bergeron is a superstitious guy. His game-day routine is exactly the same. He believes in karma. So, here are some coincidences he might find interesting in regard to the week the Bruins are having:
- The only other time he scored a hat-trick was on 1/11/11 and fans know how that season ended. When Bergeron scored those three goals en route to a 6-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, Boston’s record was 23-12-7 for 53 points. With Saturday’s win, the Bruins are 23-10-6 for 52 points.
- Bergeron’s four-goal game was the first by a Bruin since Dave Andreychuk accomplished the feat on Oct. 28, 1999. Oh, and who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this season? Andreychuk and Mark Recchi, who was Bergeron’s linemate on the ’11 Cup-winning team.
- On Thursday, the Bruins had their game against the Florida Panthers postponed due to the blizzard. The last time that occurred was during the ’13 season and it just so happens that the Bruins reached the finals that year before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.
- On Friday, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who is a good friend of Bergeron’s, registered a four-point game during Pittsburgh’s 4-0 victory over the New York Islanders. He had one goal and three assists in that game and now has 31 career games with at least four points, which is the most by any player in the NHL since making his debut in 2005-06. The two will face off on Sunday night in Pittsburgh.