"Light. Very light," said Bergeron. "No sprints."
Yesterday's session represented one of the first stages toward a return Bergeron believes will take place this season. Bergeron said he felt fine after the workout and didn't feel any immediate symptoms. He does not have a set schedule for following workouts, as physical activity will depend on how he feels.
"He's going to take his time," said coach Claude Julien. "You don't want to go too hard and have to take a step back. You have to be cautious and maybe do a little less so you don't make an encouraging situation more discouraging."
After the workout, a smiling Bergeron, wearing a brown jacket and sporting heavy stubble on his face, walked out of the players' lounge with a normal gait. Bergeron bore little resemblance to the man who made his first public appearance since the injury Nov. 8 at TD Banknorth Garden, wearing a neck collar and shuffling slowly in the hallway.
Lately, Bergeron has been spending more time with the club, watching games from the Garden press box and receiving treatment here while his teammates practice. Bergeron, however, is not close to undergoing the series of tests required of a player after a concussion before he is cleared for action.
"We want to make sure he doesn't have a relapse," said Julien. "Sometimes it may mean doing just a little less than trying to do a little more. Because if you do a little more and you have a relapse, it's discouraging. If you do a little less and feel good the next day, then it's encouraging. We want to make sure to keep that trend going."
In the 23 games Bergeron has missed this season, the Bruins are 12-8-3 - a respectable performance for a club without arguably its finest all-around player.
Last season, Bergeron was the team's No. 2 scorer, recording 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points in 77 games. But Bergeron was also saddled with a ghastly minus-28 rating, the third worst in the league.
