Bergeron on the Road to Recovery

BOSTON - Patrice Bergeron took the ice at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday morning for Bruins captains' practice as he continues to recover from offseason groin surgery. The veteran center said following the skate that he is "starting to feel better on the ice."
"It's good…kind of starting to increase the workload in the gym as well, slowly but surely," said Bergeron.

Bergeron - entering his 15th season with the Bruins and 37 games shy of the 1,000th of his career - is a bit behind in his offseason routine following the June procedure, and will not accompany the team for its upcoming trip to China.
"The fact that surgery was done in June - a month after the season - definitely set me back a little bit," said Bergeron, who also took part in a separate skating session with Torey Krug and Noel Acciari - both of whom are also recovering from injury - on Friday before the full captains' practice.
"I kind of started increasing the volume in August this year - all of July was pretty much rehabbing and all that…but still shooting to be ready for Game 1 of the season and Opening Night. That's the goal right now."

The 33-year-old enters training camp fresh off abdominal surgery for the second consecutive season. Last summer, Bergeron had surgery for a hernia and missed the first five games of the season as he recovered.
This fall, the goal is to be at full strength when Boston opens the 2018-19 campaign on Oct. 3 in Washington. A limited preseason workload could be key in helping Bergeron achieve that objective.
"That's what I'd like," Bergeron said of playing preseason games. "At the tail end of it get a few games before starting the season. That's the game plan and we'll see how it goes and play it week by week. Hopefully I can keep improving like I am right now."
Bergeron did express some disappointment that he will be unable to join his teammates for their 10-day journey to China for preseason games against the Calgary Flames on Sept. 15 in Shenzhen and Sept. 19 in Beijing.
"Minus the 16-hour flight, I am disappointed," said Bergeron. "It would be nice to be with the boys and do some bonding and be with them. That being said, it's out of my control. I'll try to make the most of it here…to make sure that the rehab will go according to plan and I can get all of the treatment I want and I can here in Boston"

The four-time Selke Trophy winner was on pace for a career season in 2017-18 and being considered as a contender for the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) when a broken foot suffered in late February sidelined him for a month. Bergeron still managed 63 points in 64 games and the fourth 30-goal season of his career even as he dealt with the lingering affects of his foot and groin issues.
After the Bruins were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Bergeron took a couple of weeks to see if rest would help him avoid surgery. But when he resumed his offseason workouts in early June, the groin problems persisted, prompting an MRI that revealed a slight tear, which required surgery.
"You're trying to avoid the surgery at all costs, but when it's needed you have to go along with it and take the time that needs to be for it to heal. That's what I've done all summer," said Bergeron. "Hindsight is 20/20. When you look back, of course I would have liked to do it right away. But talking with the training staff and doctors there was a chance it would go either way.
"Unfortunately it stayed and it got worse. Obviously it's always easy to say looking back. It would have been nice to get it done right away, but that being said, you never know. You always try to avoid surgery."
Bergeron hopes that the surgery will curtail the issue, but will concentrate on preventative measures to make sure he remains at full strength.
"Taking even more care of that area, making sure that I do a lot of rehab and pre-hab, I should call it, and make sure I stay on top of it," said Bergeron. "As the year goes by the body gets overused a little bit, so you need to make sure you stay on top of it."