Uncommon Success

Bryan Rubin takes a look at a defenseman who has a surprisingly good amount of success.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

After going undrafted ten years ago, veteran defenseman, Marc-Adre Bergeron, is excelling in Tampa Bay under second year coach Guy Boucher. Bergeron has been an NHL nomad in the past since he broke into the league with the Edmonton Oilers in the 2002-2003 season. Since then, he has played for five different teams (Islanders, Ducks, Wild, Canadians, and Lightning). However what’s puzzling is the fact that Bergeron has had his fair share of success in the NHL, no matter which team he has played for. He has 217 career points in 435 games, almost one point every two games. But after bouncing around the league for the past few seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning is glad Bergeron is now on their side. 

At 5”9 and just 195 lbs, Bergeron isn’t exactly your ideal defenseman. The average NHL defenseman is around 6”2, 210 lbs according to Pensionplannpuppets.com. He is the only defender on Tampa’s roster listed less than six feet tall. However through the first thirteen games this season, Bergeron has proved that size doesn’t quite matter in the NHL.

With 15 points this season and a league high 13 assists, Bergeron is providing the defensive scoring that the Bolts desperately lacked last season. In 82 games a year ago, defenseman Brett Clark led all Tampa point-men with 31 points. Bergeron is nearly halfway there just with just fifteen percent of the season completed.

NHL fans are usually accustomed to seeing one of the Sedin twins at the top of the assist column or the likes of a Crosby, Ovechkin or Zetterberg. But not this season. Marc-Andre Bergeron has stolen the spotlight so far and if he keeps it up, the Lightning, who score the fifth most goals per game in the league, will continue to be frequent visitors of the red light district.