MONTREAL -- The Boston Bruins’ star player, Quebecer Patrice Bergeron, made a $50,000 donation to two organizations that contribute to social progress for Black communities. 

Donations were made to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and to the Centre multiethnique de Québec. 

In a press release posted on the Bruins’ website, Bergeron explains that following the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests, he realized that remaining silent about racism would mean he was contributing to amplifying it. 

He said he regrets how long it took him to realize how much Black people suffer because of racism and staying silent is no longer an option for him. While he can’t change the past, he can contribute to bettering the future, he said. 

Bergeron, now 34, has been one of the NHL’s best players over the past few years. So far, the L'Ancienne-Lorette native has played nearly 1,100 games – he has scored more than 350 goals and nearly 900 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 2011 has been awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy four times. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2020.