Bergeron destroying WJCs

[HOCKEY_GURU]

It's obvious (I hope) that thus far, Bergeron is the proven commodity, he has far more experience than any of the other highly touted players in the tournament, in fact, I have a hard time thinking of any NHL players who are even in the tournament besides Bergeron...(someone let me know if you want)...

However, a strong tournament, while positive, is never a guarantee of absolute future success. If I was building a team, I still would go with Crosby over Bergeron, but again, it's the potential superstar vs. someone who's already proven he can play in the big leagues...there's arguments for both...

Fritche played 18 games or so last year in the NHL

 

[hossy316]

Ill keep an eye on this thread. DONT turn it into another Crosby-Ovechkin debate (or in this matter, Crosby-Bergeron).

Good call, but it shouldn't even be a debate.

 

[Bruwinz37]

He is a great player but he has nowhere near the upside Ovechkin, Malkin, or Crosby has.

He will be better than Malkin IMO.

 

[Bruwinz37]

I like Bergeron a lot... but to say he doesn't have the same upside as the 3 is 100% accurate.

The 3 players mentioned have SUPERSTAR potential... Bergeron does not.

Patrice Bergeron's not being underrated here, he's just not being overrated by the poster.

Why, because you say so? Bergeron played ONE year of Junion hockey and then straight to a very succesful NHL season where on many nights he was the Bruins best player on the ice. He may lack some of the *tools* but he more than makes up for it in hockey sense. IMO if he was picked in the first round instead of the second round people would be just as excited with him.

 

[Reilly311]

He will be better than Malkin IMO.

no, but nice try.

 

[THE NEXT ONE #87]

If I was building my team, and I had a choice of Bergeron and Crosby, I would definitely go with Bergeron.

Of course, u r a ovechkin lover and crosby hater...

 

[MOGiLNY]

Of course, u r a ovechkin lover and crosby hater...

what does Ovechkin have to do with me thinking that Bergeron is better than Crosby???

watch some Canada games, Bergeron is the man.

 

[AG9NK35DT8*]

Where does someone get off saying "nowhere near"???

If you were to say that he won't be as good as those 3 -I'll lend you an ear, and agree with you...

but to say that he isn't in their class is pure ignorance in my opinion... he has done nothing but prove doubters wrong -... he is a very humble kid who just loves to play hockey... and has shown that he can do it at every level better than the majority of the guys drafted ahead of him...

If Bergeron had been a 1st-rounder -*some* people here would see more "upside" I bet.... the Bruins were not going to blink... if Stuart had not been available they would have taken Bergeron with that selection.

But whatever, I digress... keep thinking of Bergeron as a second-rate talent... at least most people are now getting to see the real deal...

Long story short.Bergeron has no upside like Crosby and Ovechkin thats a fact.the kid is good but Oechkin and Crosby are world class superstars or are projected to be and Bergeron is just a good hockey player.So to argue the point makes no sense.

 

[Eat It]

Long story short.Bergeron has no upside like Crosby and Ovechkin thats a fact.the kid is good but Oechkin and Crosby are world class superstars or are projected to be and Bergeron is just a good hockey player.So to argue the point makes no sense.

Bergeron was "just a good hockey player" last year at 18 years old against the greatest players in the world. He's also been dominant at the WJC this year. Now should we think that at 19 years old he's peaked in his development because no one "projected" that he'd be as good as he is?

 

[LadyJet26]

Long story short.Bergeron has no upside like Crosby and Ovechkin thats a fact.the kid is good but Oechkin and Crosby are world class superstars or are projected to be and Bergeron is just a good hockey player.So to argue the point makes no sense.

Bergeron is not just a good hockey player... He's the type of player that will be a leader, a captain of his team one day. I don't see either Crosby or Ovechkin being a captain of their future NHL clubs. As for people that think Ovechkin is an almighty god, he doesn't even go into the locker room during intermissions, that really shows how much of a team player he is. Doesn't matter if you still score, if you're not apart of the team then you shouldn't be on it.

 

[chsb]

I saw him play at 16, 17 and 18 early in the season.
Bergeron showed to me the best improvements of any player I have ever met or seen on TV.
Crosby, from last year to this year, did not show that drastic improvement.
Now, from 17 to 18, Bergeron went into a pro class.
I don't think that Crosby is ready mentally and physically to do at 18 what Bergeron actually did at 18 with the Bruins.
Ovechkin in the Russian League is not playing at the same level as the NHL. Sorry to burst a bubble there.

PLUS: Bergeron is the best faceoff player in this tournament.
He is also a strong PKer.
And he throws his body around.

If you look closely at Crosby or Ovechkin, they don't have that complete package.
They do have the offensive upside and the grit, but they don't have the defensive pluses of Bergeron.

Bergeron will never be a Gretzky or Lemieux for sure, but he will definitely keep on improving up to 25 years old because he has that humble attitude about himself that he needs to learn every day.

I doubt very much that his two counterparts on this post will ever achieve stardom to the point of eclipsing Bergeron's accomplishements over an NHL career.

Have a 2nd look!!!

 

[chsb]

Long story short.Bergeron has no upside like Crosby and Ovechkin thats a fact.the kid is good but Oechkin and Crosby are world class superstars or are projected to be and Bergeron is just a good hockey player.So to argue the point makes no sense.

Bergeron is used to the comparisons and knows that he will never be hyped like an Ovechkin or a Crosby.

The fat is though that none of the above two are playing any better than him and they simply are not the total package offense-defense that Bergeron has.
Plus Bergeron is a leader and has experience at 19 that the two others will take years to get.
Now to think that he plateaued already is a ridiculous assumption as he will keep on progressing at least till age 25, simply because this is his way: he learns every day and is humble enough to admit that he has to learn.
Crosby will be a better player than Ovechkin no doubt in my mind either.

PS: Keep on saying that comparing Bergeron to the others makes no sense. You will simply become one more casualty on the Bergeron-underestimating-club.

 

[Mountain Dude]

He is a great player but he has nowhere near the upside Ovechkin, Malkin, or Crosby has.

Well thats an ignorant statement if I've ever heard one.

 

[Lessy]

I would say Bergeron's NHL potential is a point per game, first line centre, with good leadership and defensive abilities. Crosby and Ovechkin have potential to score 100+ points. The difference is that Crosby and Ovechkin just have potential while Bergeron is more of a sure thing.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Can someone explain to me why Bergeron doesn't have the potential of the above three. He has the grit, he has the skills/strength on the puck and he has the brains. What other intangibles does he need in order to have the potential the other three currently hold. Flash, hype, not french?

 

[MOGiLNY]

Can someone explain to me why Bergeron doesn't have the potential of the above three. He has the grit, he has the skills/strength on the puck and he has the brains. What other intangibles does he need in order to have the potential the other three currently hold. Flash, hype, not french?

It's because TSN only talks about Crosby, so some kids think that if not for Crosby, team Canada wouldn't be where it is today..

 

[hossy316]

I would say Bergeron's NHL potential is a point per game, first line centre, with good leadership and defensive abilities. Crosby and Ovechkin have potential to score 100+ points. The difference is that Crosby and Ovechkin just have potential while Bergeron is more of a sure thing.

Yes, he is a great hockey player, but how can you say it is pretty well a sure thing?? He has played one season, a very good season I will add, but he has to prove himself a little more then that. A point per game in todays NHL is a great accomplishment that not many players hit nowadays. Bergeron is definately not a sure thing in those regards as of yet. Not saying he won't, but it is not a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd also like to add that there probably weren't a lot of people that were aware of Patrice before this tourney started. Yes, he played a season in the show, but he wasn't hyped up as much as he is now. He is having a great tournament and everyone is all, oh my goodness, he is going to be better then Crosby and Ovechkin. Really people, give your head a shake. Ask any GM in the league who they would rather have and all 30 of them would have Ovechkin & Crosby ahead of Bergeron.

Other players have had great tournaments in the past, take a look at Canada's top scorers from years past. You'll see names like Hnat Domenichelli, Yannick Dube, Marty Murray, Martin Gendron, & Mike Craig. Yes, he will be btter then these guys for sure, but one great tournament doesn't put you in the same breath as Ovechkin & Crosby.

 

[London Knights]

Damn the score. The recap showed that he had three points. I guess they were wrong.

The IIHF randomly takes points away and Bergeron I believe lost an assist on the first goal scored by Perry. The same thing actually happened to Perry in the very first game where he lost two points off second assists that outside of the tournament would have been counted.

 

[Ismellofhockey]

Peter Forsberg had 31 points in 7 games back in 1993.

So... no.

Didn't Forsberg get to play against teams like France and Japan?
I'm pretty sure the competition in the WJCs improves with each passing year, Belarus, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia have made huge strides since the early 90s.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

We CAN'T predict when Bergeron will stop to improve. IMO, if he keeps the same attitude and work ethic, he will improve every year for a long period of time. He is humble and hard working, plus he is well surronded (watch an interview with his mother yesterday on RDS and she seems to be a great mother for him.). And don't forget that Luc Robitaille was drafted in the 6th round and became the best scoring LW of all-time, that Martin St-Louis was never draft and just won the Hart, Art Ross and Lester B. Pearson awards, so maybe Bergeron will continue to improve and become one of the superstars of this league. Oh and we must not forget that guys like Alexandre Daigle and Eric Lindros never lived up to there hype and went down the toilet, so maybe, just maybe (I don't think so but...) Crosby and Ovechkin could bust and become no more then bad memories for their team fans.

After all, this guy has it all and have a heart as big as Saku Koivu's, so sky is the limit for Bergeron. No where near the talent level of Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin or Frolik/Kessel type of players but he has all the intangibles that can make him way more valuable that all of those guys. But the whole point is: we just can't predict if Bergeron, Crosby or Ovechkin will become a 100 points man in this league even if Crosby and Ovechkin are more likely to get to that level...

 

[Bruwinz37]

no, but nice try.

Is that the best you can come up with?

Does HF have a minor league board? I think you need go head down there for some seasoning.

 

[Colt.45Orr]

Didn't Forsberg get to play against teams like France and Japan?
I'm pretty sure the competition in the WJCs improves with each passing year, Belarus, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia have made huge strides since the early 90s.

Ya, since the 2000's teams have been getting stronger... Canada's team today could beat some of those teams 40-0...Seriously...

I think the best way to guage the scoring is compared to last year...

 

[Eat It]

Yes, he will be btter then these guys for sure, but one great tournament doesn't put you in the same breath as Ovechkin & Crosby.

No, but a great tournament, an impressive world championship performance and a great rookie season in the NHL by 18 yrs old should put you in the same breath as two players who haven't started living up to their potential yet, however great that potential may be.

 

[chsb]

Yes, he is a great hockey player, but how can you say it is pretty well a sure thing?? He has played one season, a very good season I will add, but he has to prove himself a little more then that. A point per game in todays NHL is a great accomplishment that not many players hit nowadays. Bergeron is definately not a sure thing in those regards as of yet. Not saying he won't, but it is not a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd also like to add that there probably weren't a lot of people that were aware of Patrice before this tourney started. Yes, he played a season in the show, but he wasn't hyped up as much as he is now. He is having a great tournament and everyone is all, oh my goodness, he is going to be better then Crosby and Ovechkin. Really people, give your head a shake. Ask any GM in the league who they would rather have and all 30 of them would have Ovechkin & Crosby ahead of Bergeron.

Other players have had great tournaments in the past, take a look at Canada's top scorers from years past. You'll see names like Hnat Domenichelli, Yannick Dube, Marty Murray, Martin Gendron, & Mike Craig. Yes, he will be btter then these guys for sure, but one great tournament doesn't put you in the same breath as Ovechkin & Crosby.

Give your own head a shake!

How can you say that 30 GMs would have a Crosby or Ovechkin over a proven NHLer??
They, to my knowledge, did not prove anything as NHLers yet and are they signed to an NHL team??
Bergeron was with Team Canada at the last World Championship and won gold and was given icetime even at 18.
Now who is dominating this tournament so far??
Bergeon is and he is also a leader on his team plus is the best at faceoffs and plays PK over and above being the best scorer of his team.

Now I would like to know how some people can dispute 1 PPG player status for Bergeron and, at the same time, assess Ovechkin and Crosby as 100 pts. + players in the NHL??

At this point in time, 95% of Team-Canada is convinced that Bergeron is the top player on the team.

Give your head a 2nd shake!!!

 

[London Knights]

Yes, he is a great hockey player, but how can you say it is pretty well a sure thing?? He has played one season, a very good season I will add, but he has to prove himself a little more then that. A point per game in todays NHL is a great accomplishment that not many players hit nowadays. Bergeron is definately not a sure thing in those regards as of yet. Not saying he won't, but it is not a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination.

I'd also like to add that there probably weren't a lot of people that were aware of Patrice before this tourney started. Yes, he played a season in the show, but he wasn't hyped up as much as he is now. He is having a great tournament and everyone is all, oh my goodness, he is going to be better then Crosby and Ovechkin. Really people, give your head a shake. Ask any GM in the league who they would rather have and all 30 of them would have Ovechkin & Crosby ahead of Bergeron.

Other players have had great tournaments in the past, take a look at Canada's top scorers from years past. You'll see names like Hnat Domenichelli, Yannick Dube, Marty Murray, Martin Gendron, & Mike Craig. Yes, he will be btter then these guys for sure, but one great tournament doesn't put you in the same breath as Ovechkin & Crosby.

Not that I definately buy into the theory, but the same could be said about Crosby lighting up Major Junior. Lots of players do that and go on to be marginal NHL players, so despite his strong play there is absolutely 0 guarantee that he is anything more than the next Daigle at this point.