Posted by Gayle Simone, Sun Staff

First I would like to disclose that I was at the Bruins game the night of Game 5 in the ALCS and I was at the Bruins game on the night the Sox hosted the Rockies for Game 2 of the World Series and I was at the Garden today for the Bruins game against Philly. (Teddy - do you still want to kidnap me and force me into counseling?)

Anyway, the first two games proved to be excellent games all around - both resulted in wins for the Black and Gold and the second had Zdeno Chara dropping the gloves for the first time in a Bruins uniform.

The third game started off great, but with 3:53 left to play in the opening stanza - the game dramatically changed for this Bruins fan.

Patrice Bergeron was hit from behind into the boards by Flyers D-man Randy Jones.

Bergeron simply crumbled to the ice and did not move as Jones continued to pursue the puck. It took a few moments for the refs and players to realize Bergeron was not moving. I think I was as motionless as Bergeron was. Sitting in the stands directly above where the hit took place all I could see was Bergeron's skates - and they were not moving.

Play was stopped for 15-minutes as medical personnel worked on the 22-year-old center; cutting away his jersey and shoulder pads before strapping him to a backboard and lifting him on a gurny.

With his legs taped together and his arms folded across his chest; Bergeron was led across the ice with his teammates showing support by skating along side him and tapping their sticks. Both Bruins and Flyers fans showed their support by standing and cheering for the young center. Jones was given the gate with a 5-minute boarding major and a game misconduct.

That was it for me, I could barely get excited for the penalty shot Phil Kessel was awarded in the second period - which he did not score on.
All I could was scroll my Blackberry looking for updates on Bergeron, in between phone calls from friends and family asking if it was a clean hit or not. For the record, I personally think it was a dirty hit. Bergeron was clearly facing the boards and Jones left his feet.

The Bruins fell to the Flyers 2-1; but honestly I could have cared less - all I wanted was updates on Bergeron.

My spirits finally started to lift after reading the statement from Dr. Bertram Zarins:

“After initially losing consciousness on the ice, Patrice has regained consciousness and has been taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he is undergoing a series of tests.

We will continue to monitor Patrice and await the final results of his medical studies."

No doubt about it, Bergeron was very lucky the concussion and broken nose was all he suffered for injuries and no doubt his family, teammates and fans will rejoice in knowing the young center is going to be Okay.

As for Jones, he issued this statement while the game was still ongoing:

“Words really can't express the way that I feel right now,” Jones said. “I am very apologetic for the hit and what I did. It was not intentional. It is something that I have never done before and it is not part of my character. I am extremely sorry. I hope he does OK and everything works out for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery.”

Best wishes to Bergeron and his family for a speedy recovery from this Bruins fan.

Now that this Bruins fan can breathe a sigh of relief, I'd like to get back to Chara's fight against Chicago's David Koci.

Chara took exception to Koci poking at Tim Thomas after the Bruins netminder covered the puck in front of the crease.

Koci had his nose broken last week when he exchanged punches with Toronto's Wade Belak. Chara not only reshattered Koci's nose; the 6-foot, 9-inch defenseman split open Koci's forhead as well. The Garden ice crew literally had to scrape the blood off the ice before play could be resumed.

As for the rest of the game, Phil Kessel undressed Chicago's defense twice with beautiful moves before beating Blackhawk goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for his fourth and fifth goals in the young hockey season.

It may still only be the first month of the hockey season but the Bruins are off to a good start with a record of 6-4-0 and sitting in second place behind Ottawa in the Eastern Division.
The Black and Gold are 3-1 at home and 3-3 on the road. Next up - Buffalo, who is struggling this year after losing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere to free agency, comes to town Thursday night. The Sabres are 4-5-0 thus far and are in last place in the Eastern Division.

Have the Bruins intrigued your interest enough to watch a few games, once the World Series is over? I can say after watching every game and being at three of the first four home games - this is not the same team that was on the ice last year. This team is harder to play against and fun to watch.