As Michael Scott Wayne Gretzky famously said, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.
So, when Canadiens center Nick Suzuki teams up with Bruins star Patrice Bergeron on the Metropolitan squad at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game, he might as well ask Bergeron about potentially joining him in Montreal when Bergeron hits unrestricted free agency this offseason.
"We’ll see what happens," Suzuki told reporters Friday, via the Montreal Gazette. "He’s been a Bruin for his whole career. I don’t know what the chances are that we get him, but it would be cool to play with him. We’re on the same team at the All-Star Game, so maybe I’ll chat with him there."
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It's hard to imagine Bergeron signing with the Bruins' bitter rival after 18 seasons in Boston. The 36-year-old has been a steady force for the Black and Gold for nearly two decades and is one of the best players in franchise history in addition to one of the best two-way forwards in hockey.
Bergeron has some notable ties to Montreal, however: He's a Quebec native who grew up less than 200 miles from the Canadian city, and his longtime agent, Kent Hughes, was named the Canadiens' GM earlier this month. And while the Bruins want Bergeron to return next season, the two sides didn't agree on a contract extension last offseason, meaning Bergeron is free to test the market this summer.
"I'm going to play out this year, and then talk about that after," Bergeron said last September when asked about his future.
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He also has a big admirer in Suzuki, Montreal's talented 22-year-old alternate captain who modeled his game after the four-time Selke Award winner.
"That’s the player I’ve always wanted to be and I think he’s probably the best role model for the way that I want to play," Suzuki added of Bergeron. "It’s great to go up against him all the time and I get to watch him when we’re not playing.
"He’s a great player. I’ve loved his game ever since I started watching him when I was a kid."
The NHL All-Star Game is next Saturday, Feb. 5, while the Bruins and Canadiens will meet two more times this season on March 21 and April 24.