There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes and Patrice Bergeron being named a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.
The award is given annually to "the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game." The voters are members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
The other two finalists are Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov and Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm.
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This is the 11th straight season in which Bergeron has been a finalist for the Selke. He has won the award four times (2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17), which is tied with Montreal Canadiens legend Bob Gainey for the most ever.
Bergeron's streak of 11 consecutive top three voting finishes for the Selke also breaks one of Wayne Gretzky's records, surpassing The Great One's run of 10 consecutive years (1980 through 1989) of top three Hart Trophy finishes as the longest ever for a voted NHL Award. Gretzky won the Hart nine times (!) in that 10-year span.
Bergeron's future at the center of pivotal Bruins offseason ahead
Bergeron is expected to win the Selke again after one of the greatest defensive seasons in recent memory. Whether you look at the analytics or more traditional stats, Bergeron was in a class by himself in 2021-22.
Bergeron, even at 36 years old, is still one of the league's top players.
But his contract is about to expire and he has said several times over the last week that he needs more time to make a decision on his future. The Bruins are hoping he returns, and his defensive excellence is a major reason why.
