Bergeron signs 8 year deal, Kovalchuk returns to Russia

Boston - A shared philosophy, common values and a strong sense of loyalty led to Patrice Bergeron to sign a contract extension Friday that he hopes will allow him to be with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of his NHL career. The Bruins and Bergeron agreed on an eight-year, $52 million contract, one that starts in the 2014-15 season will keep him with the team through 2021-22.

"I started my career as a Bruin, they're the team that believed in me as an 18-year-old coming in and now I'm really happy now to say I will hopefully retire a Bruin," Bergeron said during a conference call Friday. "That's a goal. That's what I want. … I'm really proud to be a Bruin, hopefully for life. I have a lot of pride every time I step on the ice as a Bruin. I couldn't be happier."

It's the second maximum-length contract handed out by the Bruins in less than a week, following the eight-year, $56 million deal signed by goalie Tuukka Rask on Wednesday. "I try to be proactive on our core guys," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said on the conference call. "We want to try to get these guys locked up. I call them [Bergeron and Rask] pillars of the team. … He [Bergeron] is a leader. He stands for what we stand for. He's proud to wear a Bruins logo. He sets a great example, all those things."

Chiarelli cited the $6.5 million average annual value of Bergeron's contract, and the fact that he signed an extension almost a full year before his current deal expires and he could become an unrestricted free agent, as another example of the star center's dedication to the franchise. "There wasn't any question that he would be able to get more on the open market, so Patrice really helped us in the team-building aspect," Chiarelli said. "I give a lot of credit to him. He sees what we're trying to do here. The AAV is nice for team building and something that helps us in future years."

And Bergeron trusts the plan Chiarelli and his staff have put in place, making it easy for him to sign long-term.

"The mentality in the organization is team-first and to me it means a lot," he said. "That's the only way you can win. To me it exemplifies exactly the values that I have. … Over the past five years we have a great core of players that are working toward that same goal. It makes it fun to come to the rink every day for practice and games. I want to keep doing that and keep playing hockey in Boston."

Bergeron said he's sure he'll be prepared to do just that after a grueling run through the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bergeron tied for second in the League with nine goals in 22 games, and memorably scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. But in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final he sustained a cracked rib and cartilage damage in his rib cage that required a trip to a Chicago hospital. Then during the first period of Game 6, he fell into the boards and dislocated his right shoulder. After the game he was hospitalized again, this time for a punctured lung. He was released after a few days, but said doctors prescribed four weeks of rest to allow the lung injury to heal.

"They put a hole through my rib cage to suck the air out and make sure that my lung was going back to its place and staying there," Bergeron said. "The four weeks is really to make sure everything heals and doesn’t collapse again. It's my lung more than anything else. My shoulder and ribs are feeling better. Still not 100 percent obviously, but I can do some rehab on my shoulder, some bands and stuff like that. I can't really increase my heart rate right now because of the injury to my lung."

He said no surgery would be required to fix any of his medical issues, and that it's just a matter of letting things heal."I think the ribs and the cartilage and the muscles around that area are going to be sore and tight for a little bit," Bergeron said. "Every time I do a rotation or an awkward movement I feel it. I'm going to have to take the time to heal it, but I feel confident that I'll be ready for September."

Despite Bergeron's injuries, Chiarelli said he was willing to accept the risk that comes with signing any player to a long-term deal, but more so because of the player involved. "When you're looking at giving a long-term contract to a player, you look at everything and you accept a lot of the risks," he said. "A person of Patrice's character … Patrice is a terrific character guy. He's shown his resiliency. We're comfortable with the risks. It certainly isn't something we took lightly, but we felt strongly about Patrice as a player and a person and would accept some of these risks."

A second-round pick (No. 45) of the Bruins in 2003, Bergeron played 71 games as an 18-year-old rookie, totaling 39 points. After spending the 2004-05 season in the American Hockey League because of the lockout, Bergeron has been a mainstay in the Boston lineup, scoring at least 20 goals four times, and totaling 433 points in 579 games, and winning the Selke Trophy as the League's best defensive forward in 2012. He was a finalist for the award again in 2013 after totaling 32 points in 42 games, leading team with a plus-24 rating and winning a League-best 62.1 percent of his faceoffs. Bergeron also won the 2013 King Clancy Award, presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made noteworthy humanitarian contributions in his community. "We're very happy to get him signed," Chiarelli said. "You never know now, but to finish his career with the Bruins, we obviously really like him as a player. He embodies a lot of what the Bruins stand for. He's a responsible player, he's a hard player, he's a leader, he's a clutch player. He's got a classic way of carrying himself that I like to be part of and the Bruins like to be part of. We've seen his performance over the years; we saw a gutty performance this year in the playoffs. We're really happy that we can get Patrice signed to a long-term extension."

 

New Jersey - Stating a desire to return home to Russia, New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk on Thursday announced his retirement from the NHL. "This decision was something I have thought about for a long time going back to the lockout and spending the year in Russia," Kovalchuk said in a statement released by the team. "Though I decided to return this past season, [general manager] Lou [Lamoriello] was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me. The most difficult thing for me is to leave the New Jersey Devils, a great organization that I have a lot of respect for, and our fans that have been great to me."

Lamoriello said Kovalchuk, 30, signed his voluntary retirement papers, and the team has voided the remaining 12 years of the contract with the player. The voiding of the remainder of the deal opens the door for Kovalchuk to play in the Kontinental Hockey League this season. Kovalchuk, a native of Tver, Russia, served as captain of SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL during the lockout last season and had 42 points in 36 games. Lamoriello said he was not surprised by Kovalchuk's decision, saying talks on this issue began in January. "This goes back to the lockout and prior to coming back, his thought process of staying in Russia was there," Lamoriello said Thursday during a conference call. "He was here a little late [for training camp] and then there was no conversation whatsoever throughout the year about it. Then it recently resurfaced, and his desire was to retire from the National Hockey League, and the only way he could do that was to sign his voluntary retirement papers, which he did."

Lamoriello said he was informed of Kovalchuk's decision but refused to discuss what was said, saying, "Any conversation I had with Ilya was personal." The GM also said he was focused on the future, starting immediately. "I'm looking forward," he said. "I'm not thinking of anything that's just transpired. I'm not going to allow anything to get in the way of what I have to do as far as distracting myself."

Kovalchuk had 12 years and $77 million remaining on the 15-year, $100 million contract he signed with New Jersey in September 2010, which was a re-working of the 17-year, $102 million deal he agreed to months earlier that had been voided by the NHL for circumvention of the salary cap. The Devils were penalized $3 million and lost two draft picks: a third-round choice in 2011 and a first-round pick between 2011 and 2014; that penalty, at the Devils' discretion, was deferred to 2014. Lamoriello would not comment on any discussions he might have had with the League as far as recapturing the draft pick. Kovalchuk's departure frees up more than $6 million in salary-cap space for the Devils, allowing the club to be more active in free agency. But the Devils will have to pay between $250,000 and $300,000 per year in cap-benefit recapture fees for each of the next dozen years. "Right now we just have to take a step back to go forward," Lamoriello said. 'We'll just have to re-evaluate what our options are and do the best we can, but we'll be ready to play when September comes."

Kovalchuk leaves the NHL after 11 seasons; he had 417 goals and 399 assists for 816 points in 816 games. After being taken by the Atlanta Thrashers with the first pick in the 2001 NHL Draft, Kovalchuk had 29 goals as a rookie in 2001-02. He scored at least 30 goals in each of the next nine seasons, including six in a row with at least 40 from 2002-03 to 2009-10. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2003-04 with 41 goals, and scored a career-best 52 in 2005-06, when he also totaled a career-best 98 points. Kovalchuk was traded to the Devils by the Thrashers on Feb. 4, 2010, along with Anssi Salmela and a 2010 second-round draft pick in exchange for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and first- and second-round picks in the 2010 draft. His best season with New Jersey came in 2011-12, when he had 38 goals and 83 points in 77 games while earning First-Team All-Star honors, then had 19 points in 23 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Devils reach the Final. That was the best for the Devils in the Kovalchuk era, which ends after 222 games in parts of four seasons, two of which saw the Devils make the playoffs. "We're going to put the best possible team we can on the ice," Lamoriello said. "That's the most important thing. [Fan] support has been there consistently throughout the ups and downs so I know they'll be there likewise. This wasn't a decision by the New Jersey Devils."