Bruins' Patrice Bergeron: Played through sports hernia

Bergeron dealt with a sports hernia for much of the season and is contemplating surgery, Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com reports.

Analysis:

While a sports hernia would likely keep a normal person sidelined for weeks immediately upon incidence, hockey players like Bergeron seem to feel that playing seven months of competitive hockey at the highest level with the injury is totally fine. Even if the 31-year-old does elect to get surgery, the long end of rehabilitation time for the operation is around 12 weeks, meaning he'll likely be ready to go once training camp opens this fall. This was something of a down year for Bergeron, as his 53 points represents the lowest total he's had in his career when playing at least 79 games, but keep in mind that he was playing seriously injured and can be a force when healthy.