Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron is one of the most well-rounded players in all of hockey.
However, there’s definitely one area he isn’t very proficient: fighting.
Bergeron had an unlikely throw down with Winnipeg Jets forward Blake Wheeler Thursday night and it sure looked like two players that haven’t spent too much time dropping the gloves.
With that in mind, we looked back at Bergeron’s previous fighting experience as Thursday’s effort was just the fourth scrap of his NHL career.
FIGHT No. 1: Bergeron and Gorges go at it Bergeron’s first NHL fight came in a 2009 playoff series between Boston’s bitter rival, the Montreal Canadiens. In the third period of Game 2, Bergeron and Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges got into a scrum around centre ice while the puck was dumped into the Montreal zone. Bergeron caught the Habs blueliner off balance and drilled him a few times before the tiff was broken up by the refs. His first fight was definitely a win.
Fight No. 2: Bergeron takes on Evgeni Malkin In Game 1 of the 2013 Eastern Conference final, the scrappy Bruins forward got into it with Evgeni Malkin, while a bunch of Bruins were tussling with Sidney Crosby at centre ice. Bergeron and Malkin both got some good shots in before the refs broke the two up on the ground. This round had to go to Malkin.
Fight No. 3: Tyler Myers and Bergeron go head-to-head One area you can’t question Bergeron is his courage. That much was evident when he went up against hulking defenceman Tyler Myers in the first regular-season fight of his NHL career in December of 2013.
Standing at 6-foot-8, Myers got ticked off with Bergeron while he was cutting towards the Sabres’ goal and when the puck was going up the ice the other way, the two went at it at centre ice. Bergeron tried to get some punches in but Myers had a significant size advantage. Still, Bergeron’s teammates seemed impressed with the effort.
Fight No. 4: Bergeron and Wheeler throw down You can see the fight from earlier above as Bergeron and Wheeler throw punches wildly before the Jets forward falls on top of the Canadian Olympian. It’s tough to declare a winner here.
