Great GDT...thanks for the trip down Bergeron memory lane.
Looking back to that 31 goal, 05/06 season, I remember being in awe of Bergy's game. You could see that his hockey IQ was off the charts, and the way he was able to create space for himself, and create passing lanes was above where most players are at his age. I think he had two pretty good offensive seasons in a row, 05/06 and 06/07, and then the concussion happened.
After the concussion it took him a while to re-find his offensive game. If you look at those 05/06 highlights, he was a different player back then. He doesn't have that same release anymore, and he isn't quite as explosive. But his offensive game has come around enough, maybe not at the level we once hoped it might be, but enough, and he has transformed himself into one of the best all-around players in the game, hell, one of the best players, period.
It really is remarkable the "journey" he has taken during the course of these 600 games: breaking into the NHL at eighteen, emerging is a young star, battling a severe head injury, and then reemerging as a Stanley Cup champion and Selke winner. Great story. Great player. I'm glad we have had a chance to see him play 600 times; there was a time when that was not guaranteed. Here is to 600 more!!!