By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, May 12, 2011
TAMPA — As a teammate of wing Sean Bergenheim's with the Islanders for almost two years, Lightning center Nate Thompson said you could always see his ability was there.
Bergenheim, 27, a former-first round pick, had the speed, the relentlessness, and a scoring touch that dated to his junior days in his native Finland.
"I think it was just a matter of him putting it together," Thompson said.
Bergenheim certainly has this year, especially in the playoffs, where he's tied for the NHL lead with seven goals heading into Saturday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final against the Bruins at the TD Garden. He's thrived in the opportunities provided in a "fresh start" with the Lightning after "hitting a wall" during five seasons in New York, where he felt somewhat stuck in a defensive role.
But in a season when Bergenheim's confidence, and minutes, have grown, coach Guy Boucher said the third-liner realized he's not just a "grinder," adapting his game into a more complete player.
And while not many expected Bergenheim to score seven goals in his first 11 postseason games, after having 14 in the regular season, Boucher points out playoff-style hockey is made for the fiesty 5-foot-10, 200-pound Fin.
"When you're in the playoffs, there's no space out there," Boucher said. "You've go to battle it out in small environments and that's exactly where he shines. He's a hustler, he's a guy that gives you everything he's got and goes in headfirst. That's the definition of the playoffs."
Bergenheim gives a lot of credit to his linemates, center Dominic Moore and wing Steve Downie, a trio that Boucher said played as well as the Lightning's top two lines in the Capitals series. But Bergenheim also feels he's able to play more relaxed, while making some adjustments in his positioning that has put him in the right spots.
"He's been a force out there, he's been dominating the games," defenseman Victor Hedman said. "Every time he's on the ice, it seems like something is going to happen."
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Bergenheim grew up in Helsinki, Finland, admiring fellow Fin Teemu Selanne, who became a 10-time NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup champion. He remembers, as a kid, sending away trading cards of Pavel Bure and Eric Lindros, and how pumped he was when the star forwards replied with an autograph.
The only hockey hero Bergenheim never saw play was his father, Christian, who was a goalie in a Finland pro hockey league, but quit at age 23. Bergenheim read up on his dad through newspaper articles, and has one of his old jerseys in a frame.
"I wanted to be a goalie, too," he said, smiling.
But Bergenheim turned into a talented forward prospect, getting drafted 22nd overall by the Islanders in 2002. He scored a career-high 15 goals in 2008-09 with New York, but dropped to 10 last year.
"When I came into the NHL, I just wanted to stick," Bergenheim said. "I was in a defensive role, and stayed in that role. Whether if it was maybe I didn't play good enough to deserve more minutes, but I was always put in that role."
With the Lightning, Bergenheim saw his role expanded, including over 84 minutes on the power play (compared to just 12 minutes 21 seconds with New York in 2009-10, albeit in 17 fewer games). And when Tampa Bay's top forwards were hurt, Bergenheim was given a shot to step in.
"Here, you always get the feeling that you can do more, and if you do better, you're going to get more too," he said.
After last season, Bergenheim said he "needed a change," and, it turned out, the Lightning needed a third-line wing. General manager Steve Yzerman said, in scouting the Islanders in previous years as vice president of the Red Wings, said he always noticed Bergenheim, how he was first on the puck. Bergenheim felt it was a "good fit," signing a one-year, $700,000 deal.
What the Lightning got was a bit of a bargain, a checking forward came up big in big games.
"Every time there's been pressure, he's been there and he's been one of our better players," Boucher said. "You know, some people freeze under pressure. Some people fly away from it and some people fight. He fights."
And Bergenheim, so far, has been enjoying the ride.
"The way it's worked out," Bergenheim said. "Has been greater than expected."
Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.