Bergeron, Bruins eager for captain's impending return to the lineup

Patrice Bergeron doesn't see coaching in his future.

While stuck home in Boston as the Bruins took care of business in Games 3 and 4 in Florida to open a 3-1 lead on the Panthers, the captain had texted Chris Kelly about his assessment of the games, whether it were X's and O's or simply things he was seeing.

Jim Montgomery said Saturday he felt Bergeron would make an "excellent" coach someday.

For now, No. 37 has no intention of being anything but a player.

“I don’t think so," Bergeron said Tuesday at Warrior Ice Arena when asked if he'd consider coaching down the line. "I think it’s too nerve-wracking for me. It’s too much.”

Nursing an upper-body injury that held him out through the first four games of the series, Bergeron was able to ply his off-ice trade around the team for Games 1 and 2, sharing face-off advice with Pavel Zacha or meeting in the coaches' office, as a few examples.

As the series flipped to Florida, Bergeron had to settle for flipping on his television and firing off texts to his assistant coach. He wasn't keen on the experience.

“It was definitely different," he said. "It felt like it was a little more nerve-wracking than when you’re on the ice or on the bench where you feel like you can actually do something about it. You feel a little… I don’t know if ‘helpless’ is the right word, but you’d like to be out there and kind of help the guys a little more. That’s why I texted and tried to see a few things. I don’t know if that did anything or not." 

Bruins fans may not be winning Selke Trophies or putting forth Hall of Fame careers in the NHL, although they do share one thing in common with Bergeron now.

"That being said, I was cheering and screaming at the TV a few times,” he added. 

It was a taste of what will in all likelihood come sooner rather than later for the 37-year-old Bergeron, in all reality. Montgomery mentioned over the weekend that upon retiring from playing and becoming a coach, there's a "helpless" feeling of not being able to have an on-ice impact. 

“I think a lot of people would tell you I should’ve retired a lot earlier. Unlike him where we’re begging him to stay, right?" he joked on Tuesday. "But you know what? It’s more the transition in life. That is a big change, especially for your wife because now you’re home all the time. You don’t get eight months separated by 50 percent of the time, which is a new build-in. Seriously, that’s the biggest change. And then finding out your new purpose in life is the second part, you know?”

That's all to be worried about at a later date, though, whenever it may be. For now, Bergeron has a return to the lineup to make. It could come in Wednesday night's Game 5 as the B's look to send the Panthers to their cat nap for the summer.

Friday's Game 3 was the first time since April 15, 2003, in which neither Bergeron nor David Krejci were in the Bruins lineup for a playoff game. They'd go on to select Bergeron in the second round of that summer's legendary draft before nabbing Krejci in 2004's second round. Game 4 made it two in a row.

Bergeron was a full participant in Tuesday's practice after skating on his own last week. Krejci skated before the team portion of practice after undergoing further testing on Monday. The latter at least has playoff action under his belt this season, while the former has had the challenge of sitting idly by.

“You want to be out there with the boys, battle and compete," Bergeron said. "You go through a full season, and you know, you work hard to get to this point, I guess I should say. Obviously, you want to be out there. It is frustrating, but that being said, now we’re here. The boys have done a great job.”

Even if it is a nuisance that his upper-body injury came in Game 82 against the bottomed-out Canadiens, Bergeron has taken the hangup in stride, knowing it could have happened at any time in any other game. Montgomery doubled down on Boston's plan to have a full lineup in that game to ramp up before the playoffs. Bergeron intended to play, no matter the opponent. 

“[The injury] is frustrating. It is. At the same time, you have no control over it," Bergeron said. "I try to tell that to the guys. We talk about the process all year. So, it’s just about sticking to that and finding ways to get healthy and feeling good.”

He centered a line with Tyler Bertuzzi and David Pastrnak on Tuesday, participating in each drill and manning his usual post on the power play. Bergeron said he's "feeling good. Felt good on the ice. ... Today's a good day. We'll see how I feel tomorrow." 

He added he's "not anticipating any setbacks" as he works his way up to speed.

“I think it’s one of those things where you try to get back as quickly as possible. At the same time, you try to be smart with it," Bergeron said when asked if he anticipated the injury lingering at all. "The training staff has done a tremendous job. I don’t know. I’m just taking it day by day.”  

Montgomery said Wednesday that No. 37 has checked most of the boxes ahead of getting the all-clear. He partook in the optional morning skate ahead of Game 5. He'll take warmups and be a game-time decision. Either way, the B's are glad to have Bergeron and his superlative drive back in the mix.

“It’s always good to have him out there, just because he’s such a determined athlete," Montgomery said. "He's a perfectionist. I think It’s like the one time I was talking to him during the year, I said, ‘If we have a game like every two days and we get going, would you rather, off in between and have a morning skate or practice and then no morning skate?’ And he basically said no morning skate, because he just feels fresher at night. I say, ‘Well, we’re only out there for 10 minutes.’ He says, ‘Yeah, but I can’t just go half speed.’ That’s just the way he’s wired.”

Bergeron led the post-practice stretch. After, he went up to each of his teammates, fist-bumping, high-fiving or stick-tapping everyone on his way by. He met Nick Foligno with an emphatic bear hug at the end of the line.

After Game 1, Jake DeBrusk became the latest Bruin to mention wanting "to do it for [Bergeron]." Montgomery said Tuesday he's never quite observed a team respond to or rally around a single teammate quite like he's seen with Bergeron.

“I think I’ve seen people do what he does, but I don’t know if I’ve seen the genuine care. And it’s reciprocated, right? Him to them, and them to him. I don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed anything like that before.”