Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron added to his trophy case -- and incredible legacy as a two-way player -- by winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the fifth time in his career, breaking a tie with Montreal Canadiens legend Bob Gainey.
The award is presented annually to "the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game," as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, according to the NHL. Along with Bergeron, Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm and Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov -- the 2021 winner -- were this season's finalists.
Bergeron just completed his 18th season with the Bruins, and this season was the 11th time he was a finalist for the Selke Trophy. He led the NHL in faceoff wins and percentage, and after the announcement was made by 1984 Selke Trophy winner Doug Jarvis, Bergeron took some time to hand out a host of thank yous to his teammates, family, and the Boston fans.
"It's definitely an honor. ... I'm humbled is the first word that comes to mind," Bergeron said after the announcement.
"It is an individual award, but obviously you can't get any of those with the help of all of your teammates. ... I've been fortunate enough to play on great teams and to win five Selkes and it goes to them."
The Bruins captain will be a free agent this summer and could be one of the hottest names on the market -- if he decides to leave Boston, or even continue his NHL career. Speculation has swirled this season about the 2021-22 campaign potentially being Bergeron's last in the NHL. His name is all over the Bruins record book in addition to the five Frank J. Selke Trophies. Bergeron also won the King Clancy Memorial Award in 2013 for his leadership on the ice and in the community and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2021. Bergeron also ranks third (1,216) in games played and fourth in goals (400), assists (582), and points (982) in team history,
Speaking to the media after the award was announced, Bergeron did confirm he had elbow surgery after the Bruins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs and that has delayed the decision-making process about his NHL future.