Brad Marchand considers his “special” Bruins milestone despite the loss.
Boston — Tuesday night at TD Garden, Brad Marchand skated for the 1,000th time as the Boston Bruins took on the Tampa Bay Lightning. He became the ninth player in the history of the Bruins to accomplish the feat, and the entire evening was memorable.
Marchand’s children read the starting lineup before the game and were on the bench during warmups despite the team’s 3-2 shootout loss. After a video tribute to Marchand in the first period, Todd Angilly concluded the national anthem, and the 35-year-old was clearly moved. He also made sure to thank the TD Garden fans for their standing ovation.
Following the game, Marchand remarked, “I know how fortunate I am to be part of this organization and one organization your whole career.” The amount of support and devotion fans have for the team is one of the things that makes me adore being here. It goes past quickly and is quite unique. You truly need to savor each day and seize every opportunity. It’s amazing how quickly it’s gone already, yet you want to make it stay forever.
In the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the Bruins selected Marchand. He had a reputation as a gritty player early in his career, but he frequently ran afoul of the league, receiving fines or suspensions for dubious hits. However, Marchand straightened out his behavior and rose to the position of great player, Bruins leader, and possible Hall of Famer.
Marchand acknowledged that he was attempting to ignore the fact that Tuesday was Game 1,000 in order to concentrate on the current match.
Marchand stated, “There are times, things that happen during the night, that you do get to try and embrace.” “My kids arrived early to the game and perused the starting lineup, which was unique. Receiving the montage and reflecting on the entire experience is a truly unique experience that not everyone gets to have. I was trying to balance between trying to ignore it and concentrate on the game and just being thankful for the moment because it is truly unique.
He has seen Zdeno Chara play well into his 40s and is still performing at a high level. Marchand stated he can compete at a high level as long as his body keeps up, but he is unsure if that is what his NHL future holds. But even though his body permits him to do so, he is unsure if it is what he would want.
“Every day, I live my dream.” Between now and then, there’s a lengthy wait,” Marchand remarked. “I want to accomplish a lot of things before then. We’ll see, then.
When the Bruins play the Dallas Stars on Monday afternoon, they will have a pregame ceremony to commemorate Marchand. Although the details of the ceremony are unknown, it’s possible that he will receive presents, such as the NHL’s silver stick for finishing the thousand games. When Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Zdeno Chara became teammates and achieved the 1,000 game mark, he was present to celebrate with them. And since he is still among the finest players in the NHL, he will now be given the same award.
