Two NHL all-time greats, Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens have an indelible link in hockey history.
While they never played together in the NHL, they were part of one of the league's legendary rivalries. And it was that rivalry that led them on a path to immortality.
Both Bergeron and Price will be part of the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2026 class. The two will be enshrined in Toronto on November 7-9. And that event will formally seal their places among the Pantheon of the game's greatest players.
In a recent interview with Marco D'Amico, Patrice Bergeron made it clear Price was a formidable foe but also a friend.
When the pair squared off, Bergeron knew that scoring chances were going to come at a premium.
"When we played against him, we knew we had to capitalize on the chances we had because we would not get many opportunities to score," Bergeron said. "He was the kind of goaltender that could take over games, and it forced us to elevate our games."
Bergeron noted that Carey Price was the kind of guy who wasn't going to give them much, no matter how many shots on net the Bruins put on him.
"I remember a lot of games where we would put up 30 or 40 shots, and the score would be 2-1 or 3-1," Bergeron said. "They were always tight games because he would rise to the occasion. That's the sign of a great player."
But the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry was only part of the story. As Patrice Bergeron recounted, there was also a time in which they were friends.
When Bergeron and Price became teammates on Team Canada, his feelings about the legendary netminder changed. The perception went from one of frustration at the inability to score, to one of confidence in the security the team felt with the Habs goalie in the crease.
"For us with Team Canada, it gave us confidence," Bergeron said. "Even if there was a mistake among the five players on the ice, we knew the sixth guy was going to do the job and take care of us."
The most notable achievement came in the 2014 Sochi Games, in which Team Canada took the gold with Patrice Bergeron and Carey Price leading the way.
The former Bruins captain summed up what he saw in Price with a succinct explanation.
"I always appreciated his poise," Bergeron said. "He made it look easy. He never seemed to be throwing himself all over the place or overcommitting on plays. He was always in position. His technique was flawless."
It's too bad the pair never got the chance to play on the same NHL team. Had such a thing happened, Heaven knows what could have been.
Yes, Patrice Bergeron will go down as one of the NHL's all-time greats. He didn't do it by scoring 200 points in a season. He did it by becoming one of the game's most formidable two-way forwards. His leadership helped mold the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning side.
Despite the championships and the accolades, it's the relationships that Bergeron cherishes the most.
"It makes me realize how fortunate I was to play, to be part of so many great teams and to be surrounded by people who helped me along the way. "I'm very grateful for all the people who helped me and influenced me in my career," he said.
One of those valuable relationships will forever be cemented as Patrice Bergeron and Carey Price stand on the stage one more time, taking the rightful places in hockey history.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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