Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron skates with Framingham youth hockey players at Loring Arena

FRAMINGHAM — After a nearly three-year delay due to the coronavirus, Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron skated with Framingham Youth Hockey players on Sunday afternoon at Loring Arena.

With temperatures outside above 80 degrees, a few players twirled around in shorts.

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Bergeron, in an interview with the Daily News before taking the ice, joked that "I'd much rather be in the AC right now. It'd be nice and cool."

Bergeron, 37, skated onto the ice wearing all black — a hooded sweatshirt and long pants — but not wearing any Bruins gear or his well-known No. 37 jersey, although many in the crowd had his number on their backs.

After players skated for 20 minutes, Bergeron made his long-awaited appearance, emerging from a locker room to loud applause. Once he reached the group of players who were kneeling on the ice, Bergeron made a few remarks before saying, "You guys ready to skate? Let's go!"

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No sticks were used by players or Bergeron.

The 18-year NHL veteran, who is 18 points shy of 1,000 for his career, made several trips around the ice, stopping to take photos and share handshakes. He participated in two sessions, one for the 8-and-under group and another with 10-and-under.

Adam Karmelek, 12, of Southborough, sported a black Bruins No. 37 jersey and waited patiently on the bench for Bergeron to skate by and grab a high-five. It wasn't long before he skated by and obliged.

"There were a couple of shy kids, and we'd flag them and give (Patrice) a wave and say, 'This kid's nervous,'" said Framingham Youth Hockey President Rob Laprel. "And he'd come right over.

"We've been trying to get this done for almost three years, and to finally have it happen was really cool."

After each session, Framingham Youth Hockey players waited in line outside the rink to collect a signed print of Bergeron, a new helmet and a $150 savings account certificate from Avidia Bank to help with the cost of equipment and travel that comes with the sport.

"Hockey's so expensive, like Patrice said, and we as an organization, we're still a town program that's nonprofit — we're just trying to make hockey affordable," Laprel said.

"It's been a really great partnership with Framingham Youth Hockey," said Janel Maysonet, chief marketing officer/senior vice president at Avidia Bank. "It's great to be able to bring an athlete such as Patrice Bergeron to the community, especially since it's a great cause to help out local families."

Before the first session, Bergeron spent time at a photo shoot and waited in a locker room for his entrance. Along benches in that room were items that he had signed.

He appeared at ease, and despite the fact that he was not wearing Bruins gear, was easily recognizable in his short-cropped hair and unassuming smile.

"I just like being here with the kids; it's always nice to be able to do that," Bergeron said. "Growing up, I had that experience with some Nordiques players back then, when they were still in Quebec City. Those are great memories."

He said he had been in Framingham in the past, "but first time at the rink, though."

With Bruins training camp starting soon — the Bruins held a captains' practice on Friday at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton — Bergeron said: "I'm looking forward to it. I'm just excited to get going again."

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas. 

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron skates with youth players at Loring Arena