The fans at the Nash Casino late Thursday afternoon made their feelings very well known.

“You’re a captain,” a fan said. “We need you.”

He was talking about off the ice, possibly coaching or helping to run the Bruins, who lost a few hours later to the hated Montreal Canadiens, 4-1, that fans could have watched on the giant screen that was above Bergeron and former Boston and Nashua radio personality Mike Mutnansky.

Either way, it’s been a tough year, tough for the Bruins ever since Bergeron played his last NHL game two years ago. The event at the Nashua was a Q&A sponsored by Draft Kings and the New Hampshire Lottery in celebration of five years of legalized sports betting in the state. Earlier the Lottery held a skills competition at Conway Arena with Bergeron vs. five NH high school players. All well done and fun.

But Bergeron at the Q&A talked mainly about the past; that’s where the questions were going. However, earlier, in the South-Pelham locker room at the rink, we asked him about the current 30-37-9 non-playoff state of the Bruins, dead last in the Eastern Conference. Ugh.

“It’s unfortunate,” Bergeron said. “They’re a resilient group, there’s a lot of character still in that room, and guys I’m very good friends and close with that I believe in. It’s unfortunate I know, for them. … That being said, it’s one of those things it’s something you learn from, you move on and get better.”

Speaking of moving on, Bergeron was asked about the Marchand trade. At the Nash, he said that he and the former captain “had a special connection.”

“Yeah, we were all surprised,” he said. “But I get both sides, there is a business to hockey. It’s just the nature of the beast. Obviously he’s a good friend of mine and I wish him all the best. But I said that to (Brandon) Carlo and (Charlie) Coyle, who left for Colorado and Toronto …. I wish those guys all the best. I think it was very fair for Sweens (Bruins GM Don Sweeney) to set them up with teams that have a chance to win. As much as I’m sure it was hard for both parties to make those decisions….”

Bergeron said he went through a rebuild early in his career after his first year.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “Unfortunately it’s just a cycle of life, I guess; in sports it’s the same thing. Eventually it just gets to that point and you have to kind of hit the reset button and it’s a quick and short and painless one. I believe in the people that are in place to make that happen.”

The fans at the Nash want Bergeron to be one of the people in place making that happen, it seemed. Has he talked about that with the Bruins? The answer is kinda sorta, but it’s not his time.

“We’ve had conversations,” he said. “I’ve made myself clear with them, that now I’d like time with my family.”

Former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron chats with Boston area media personality Mike Mutnansky, shown on the huge screen at the Nash Casino in Nashua on Thursday. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron chats with Boston area media personality Mike Mutnansky, shown on the huge screen at the Nash Casino in Nashua on Thursday. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Bergeron relieved some memories, talked about how former Bruin Mark Recchi taught him a lot, especially about leadership on and off the ice. He relived the Stanley Cup championship of 2011, and how the team learned its lesson in blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Flyers the year before. He said goalie Tim Thomas’ Cup playoff performance – vs. Montreal, Philly, Tampa Bay and of course Vancouver – was “incredible. Pretty hard to be duplicated.”

He had a funny story to tell about Thomas. “If you scored on him in practice, he’d get pissed,” Bergeron said. “But if you scored twice on him, he’d take the puck and throw it at you.”

The session lasted nearly an hour, a well-done treat for plenty of fans who wore Bruins jerseys, etc. and took in every word, especially these that Bergeron said about someday being part of the Bruins organization than just an alum.

“The door,” he said, “is not closed on my side.”

So he’s saying there’s a chance. Bruins fans need every little bit of hope they can get these days.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X (formerly twitter) @Telegraph _TomK.