Professional sports might not be for the faint of heart, but the people that play them are still human. Veteran Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron knows that well, having played in the NHL — a sport that requires both mental and physical toughness of the highest order — for 18 seasons.
But the mental health side of things, he says, often wasn’t part of the discussion.
“I think it’s something that, I guess earlier in my career it was not something we were talking a lot about, even though it was still very important,” the longtime Bruin said after the team’s first captain’s practice Monday.