Patrice Bergeron has often demonstrated the many qualities that make him the athlete and the person he is today. The Boston Bruins forward once again showed his class in a brief interaction with Buffalo Sabers forward Tage Thompson on Saturday.
While the two skaters were opposed to each other in the face-off circle, during the “Hockey Fights Cancer” evening in Buffalo, the Quebecer inquired about the state of health of the wife of Thompson, Rachel, who has had to battle cancer for the past few years.
The latter had a cancerous tumor removed from her right leg in January 2019. Since then, the two X-rays she has undergone have shown no signs of cancer. If her third is still negative, in the summer of 2023, she will no longer need to be followed.
“He didn’t have to do that, but he still took the time to ask about her health and how she was doing,” Thompson told the Buffalo News on Monday after his team’s practice. That’s the kind of guy he is. He’s a genuine guy who cares about others.”
Bergeron and Thompson share a bond, as the Massachusetts roster shared the rink with Thompson’s father, Brent, while he played for the Providence Bruins of the AHL in 2004-05. Aged 19 at the time, the Quebecer had even played hockey on the street a few times, with Tage, then aged seven, as well as his brother Tyce.
The two skaters are now rivals and Bergeron reminded Thompson of this by hitting the target twice in his team’s 3-1 win in the game.