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Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron wins Selke Trophy for record fifth time

Selke Trophy 2022 Patrice Bergeron Boston Bruins

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 12: Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins skates against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at TD Garden on April 12, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron is the winner of the 2022 Selke Trophy, making it the fifth time in his career that he has won the award as the NHL’s best defensive forward.

That puts him in sole possession of first place for the most Selke wins in NHL history, breaking a tie with former Montreal Canadiens forward Bob Gainey.

It is Bergeron’s first Selke win since the 2016-17 season. Along with his fifth win, this is the 11th year in a row that he has been in the top-three of the voting.

Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov and Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm were the two other finalists for the award this season.

Even at age 36 Bergeron was still one of the league’s elite players during the 2021-22 season, scoring at a top-line rate and also playing his usual brand of shutdown defense.

Some numbers on his defensive performance this season:


  • His 991 face-off wins and 61.9 percent face-off win percentage were both tops in the NHL.
  • His 65.5 shot attempt share during 5-on-5 play was first in the NHL.
  • The Bruins allowed just 1.56 expected goals per 60 minutes with him on the ice during 5-on-5 play, by far the best mark in the league. Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno was second at 1.78 expected goals against.
  • The Bruins allowed just 1.68 actual goals per 60 minutes with him on the ice during 5-on-5 play, the 16th best mark in the league.
  • He is also one of the top players on a Bruins penalty killing unit that ranked ninth best in the NHL (81.3 percent) during the regular season.

Bergeron’s future beyond this season remains in question as he is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He has made it known though that the only two realistic options for him are re-signing with the Bruins or retirement. If he does decide to come back for another year (or more) he should still be one of the league’s elite all-around players and will probably be in this discussion again next season.