Patrice Bergeron

While researching to find the most charitable athletes around the world today, I didn't find much information about hockey players. I am guessing that hockey players don't show up on many lists of "most charitable athletes" because they do not get paid as well as other professional sports. Many of the articles and stories that I research are based on how much money someone gives to certain causes. The average salary of NHL players is almost half of the average in the NBA and MLB. It is hard to compare the salary of NFL players to these other sports because the roster size is significantly different. The point that I am trying to make is that there are many NHL players that positively impact their community, even if they don't get the same recognition for it.

Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins is a prime example of an athlete that cares about his community and gives back. He has his own program called Patrice's Pals that gives life-changing experiences to many children. He invites kids from various hospitals or children organizations to see a Bruins home game in VIP fashion. The children get their own luxury suite, Bruins memorabilia, personalized video recognition on the scoreboard, and the experience of meeting and getting to know Bergeron. This type of activity is something that more athletes should take part in because it gives a special experience to children who deserve it most.

Bergeron has won two awards given by the NHL for community and charity work. In the 2012 season he got the King Clancy Memorial Trophy which is given to a player that is a leader on and off the ice by making significant contributions to their community. The next season, Bergeron won another award called the NHL Foundation Player Award which is given for similar reasons as the King Clancy trophy. It is hard to win a single community award in a league with so many people, yet Bergeron got one two years straight.

The following is a quote from Bergeron on the Bruin's website shows his attitude towards his program, "I've established great relationships with some of the kids throughout the years and to see the difference it makes to some of the kids and their smiles on their faces after the game, it's definitely worth it every time I see that." He has the right attitude towards helping his community and is recognized  by the NHL as being one of the most generous players in the league. He uses his power as an athlete and role model to positively impact the lives of many kids and their families.