Patrice Bergeron named winner of 2021 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award

He wasn’t awarded his record-breaking fifth Selke Trophy last week, but Patrice Bergeron is still getting a nice piece of hardware for his efforts during the 2021 NHL season.

The NHL announced on Wednesday evening that Bergeron was named the recipient of the 2021 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, which is presented annually to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities on and off the ice and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.

The award recipient is chosen by Messier himself out of a field of nominees selected by fans, teams and league officials. 

"It’s a huge honor,” Bergeron said Wednesday. “Obviously there’s more than just X’s and O’s and playing the game of hockey, it’s about the community and what impact you can bring to people — obviously to your team, and beyond that — to grow the game of hockey.”

The 2021 season might have stood as Bergeron’s first full campaign as captain of the Bruins, but the 35-year-old pivot has played an instrumental role in cultivating an inclusive environment within the B’s room for years now — developing a culture that many newcomers to the organization are already well aware of before even donning a black-and-gold sweater. 

“They're loose, they're ready to go,” Taylor Hall said of the Bruins’ locker room back in May. “And I think that's a great thing for our team, for guys to see that. I spoke about the leadership here before, but it's great. They conduct themselves. There's an air of professionalism, but it's also okay to put a smile on and go enjoy yourself, playing hockey every day. And I think that's a great way to be."

“Bergy is the catalyst. You know he's a guy — he's very professional. The way that he plays is something that everyone should strive for — that two-way ability. But there's also - what's the word? Compassion? It's like, you're allowed to be yourself here.  I think there's a lot of examples of that. You're allowed to be yourself, you're allowed to come and laugh and have fun, joke around. But when the game starts, you got to compete, you got to play the right way. And that's an atmosphere that I've really enjoyed.”

Beyond just Bergeron’s leadership ability both on and off the ice as it pertains to his teammates — along with his production on the stat sheet — the star center has also been a catalyst in the community as well. 

Whether it be founding the “Patrice’s Pals” program back in 2006 to fund and provide the opportunity for young hockey fans from hospitals and children’s organizations in Boston to attend Bruins games, spearheading the team’s annual holiday toy shopping event and holiday visits to children’s hospitals, hosting the annual “Cuts For a Cause” and “Pucks And Paddles” events, donating $50,000 ($25,000 each to NAACP Boston and the Centre Multiethnique de Quebec) following the murder of George Floyd and countless other examples, Bergeron has regularly stood at the forefront of many community and social initiatives and has ingrained himself into the fabric of the city he’s called home for close to two decades now. 

This might be Bergeron’s first-ever Messier Award, but the future Hall of Famer was previously named as the winner of the 2013 King Clancy Trophy — handed out annually to an NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community. Bergeron was also nominated for the award in 2020.