Could Bergeron ever see himself playing in Quebec City if it had an NHL team? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Patrice Bergeron is a Boston Bruins legend.
The 37-year-old center is one of the greatest players in team history, destined to have his No. 37 hang in the rafters at TD Garden and be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Bergeron has spent his entire 19-year career in Boston — a total of 1,396 games (as of Wednesday), including the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Could he ever see himself playing anywhere else?
Why Montgomery deserves huge credit for Bruins’ hot start to season
The Bruins captain recently joined the 32 Thoughts podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and he was asked about potentially playing for Quebec City if it ever got an NHL team again.
Friedman: “If the NHL came back to Quebec City, would you play a season there, if you could?”
Bergeron: “That’s a great question. I would have to think about that one.”
Friedman: “Because you’re a Bruin.”
Bergeron: “Exactly. I think it would be hard for me to leave the Bruins. If there would be one place that I would consider, it would be Quebec City.”
Bergeron grew up in the Quebec City area and was a Nordiques fan. The Quebec Nordiques entered the NHL in 1979 and left after the 1994-95 season to move to Colorado and become the Avalanche.
The league has expanded to 32 teams over the last four years with the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22. Adding a 33rd team doesn’t make a ton of sense right now, so relocation might be Quebec City’s best bet for an NHL return.
It’s hard to imagine Bergeron playing for a franchise not named the Bruins, but if the chance to go home and play for Quebec City ever presented itself, could you really fault him for potentially considering it?