Bergevin, a stay-at-home defenseman, never scored more than seven goals or 24 points in any of his 20 NHL seasons from 1984-85 through 2003-04. But he played 1,191 games for eight teams because of his willingness to sacrifice his body and do the dirty work of trying to keep the puck out of his team's net.

The Chicago Blackhawks selected the Montreal native in the third round (No. 59) of the 1983 NHL Draft after his first season with Chicoutimi of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He returned to Chicoutimi for the 1983-84 season, then made the Blackhawks in 1984-85 and earned a regular role before being traded to the New York Islanders on Nov. 25, 1988.

Bergevin's time with the Islanders was most notable for his work helping Springfield of the American Hockey League win the Calder Cup in 1990. He helped Springfield repeat in 1991 after being traded to the Hartford Whalers on Oct. 30, 1990. Bergevin spent all of 1991-92 with Hartford and had his best offensive season in the NHL, scoring seven goals and 24 points.

That attracted the attention of the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning, who signed Bergevin as a free agent July 9, 1992. Bergevin played three seasons for the Lightning, becoming a leader on the first-year franchise until being traded to the Detroit Red Wings on Aug. 17, 1995. After one season with Detroit, Bergevin signed with the St. Louis Blues as a free agent July 31, 1996. He played the next four-plus seasons with the Blues, followed by a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins, before return engagements with the Blues, Lightning and Penguins, who traded him to the Vancouver Canucks on March 9, 2004.

Bergevin played his final nine NHL games with the Canucks before retiring after the 2003-04 season with 181 points (36 goals, 145 assists) in 1,191 games and nine points (three goals, six assists) in 80 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

After retiring, Bergevin served in a handful of positions with the Blackhawks before joining the hometown Montreal Canadiens as general manager in 2012.