Patrice Bergeron up for his annual award

Patrice Bergeron has been on the Boston Bruins for longer than anyone else who is on the team. If you were wondering why he is still on the squad, maybe this will give you a reminder.

This week, it was announced that Bergeron is in the running for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. This award goes to the forward, who “demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game”. If he does win it, he would probably throw the trophy in the pot because he's already earned that award four times in his life.

Still, it's impressive that Bergeron is in this category once again--especially given what the Bruins went through this season. Yeah, injuries were a big part of it, but they also made some changes to their zone defense, according to Fansided, but old man Bergy was able to make the proper adjustments, and he deserves credit for it.

Bergeron has won this award thrice in the past four years, so there really is a case to be made for him being one of the best 2-way players. Sure, he might not have the firepower of someone like Sidney Crosby or Wayne Gretzky on the attack, but that's not his job. He has to go out there and just be a solid player all-around, and that's just exactly what he does.

Let's be honest, Bergeron probably isn't going to win this award this year. He missed 18 games with injuries. But still, he was nominated for it despite missing time which goes to show how good he is that is still considered one of the best.

Now, Bergeron is 32 years old, but his career does not seem to be on the downturn at all. He keeps grinding, playing well and is a key player on a playoff team. That's not bad.