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Patrice Bergeron has been with the Bruins for nine seasons. Reuters

Patrice Bergeron, who led the Boston Bruins in post-season goals and played the Stanley Cup Finals with a punctured lung, was rewarded with an eight-year $52 million contract extension, the NHL team said on Friday.

In 42 regular season games, the gritty 27-year-old Canadian notched 10 goals but nearly matched that total in the playoffs scoring nine times before losing in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

In nine seasons, all with the Bruins, Bergeron has amassed 153 goals and 433 points.

A former Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward, Bergeron is also one of the league's top faceoff men and toughest competitors playing part of the post-season with a broken rib, torn rib cartilage and a separated shoulder as well as a punctured lung.

After losing Nathan Horton to free agency and trading Tyler Seguin, the Bruins have been busy this week locking in key players to long-term contracts, Bergeron's deal coming on the heels of an eight-year $56 million deal inked by netminder Tuukka Rask on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Alison Wildey)