The Boston Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup finals this past season after a fantastic run through the Eastern conference and one of the biggest reasons for that success was due to center Patrice Bergeron and now the star will be locked up for quite some time after signing a new contract.
According to ESPN.com, Bergeron and the team agreed on and eight-year extension that is worth over $50 million that will take him through the 2022 season. The center will be 37 by that year and the team will have the now 27-year-old locked up for the next decade, as the deal starts in 2014. Bergeron is getting paid $6.5 million until the deal starts and Bergeron is about to have one of the biggest summers of his career, as he made the Stanley Cup, signed and extension and is also getting married.
The Bruins have been working to keep the core of their team intact after going to the finals twice in the past three years, including signing goalie Tuukka Rask, who had a fantastic postseason for Boston. The star signed an eight-year deal and now Rask and Bergeron join defenseman Zdeno Chara and forwards Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic and David Krejci as players with long-term deals on the team. Bergeron was one of the most consistent players for the Bruins this season, scoring 10 goals and adding 22 assists during the season, while adding nine goals and 6 assists for 15 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bergeron played part of the Stanley Cup with an injury after suffering a collapsed lung as well as broken rib and Boston ended up losing in six games. The Blackhawks won for the second time in the past few seasons and now has the chance to face the Bruins again next season if they both can get back to the finals. Coach Claude Julien said Bergeron was an essential player for the team and the Bruins will be much better having him for the long-term.
