Morning Skate: Au revoir

Welcome to Friday, folks!

The weekend is in sight, and it looks like we’ve got some decent weather on tap for the Boston area, so...hang in there.

Yesterday was the Gagne-Bergeron Pro-Am game in Quebec City, the 15th (and reportedly last under those two players) edition of the game.

In case you had any doubts, Patrice Bergeron is a beloved figure in Quebec (probably even in Montreal, now that he has retired):

That is quite a long ovation, though it likely pales in comparison to what he’ll get at the Garden.

Said the hero of the evening, according to Mikaël Lalancette (loosely translated):

“It was special, it’s heartwarming, but it’s the kind of moment when I don’t know how to react. I didn’t expect that at all. I have a lot of gratitude to the people who helped me and who had an impact for me and the people of Quebec City are at the top of the list with my family, coaches and friends.”

Elsewhere, Trent Frederic met with the media virtually yesterday, discussing his new deal and the fact that the sides were able to avoid an arbitration hearing:

Other than that, it’s mid-August, so all is quiet.

We should be able to start rolling out the player/coach/management rating pieces next week, so that will give us all something to discuss.

Today’s discussion topic

Any Premier League fans here? The new season kicks off this afternoon.

My team parted ways with its manager less than a week before the season started, so it’s not exactly the most optimistic soccer time for yours truly.