‘My career would’ve been over’: Brad Marchand offered more details on offseason hip surgery

Marchand was able to make a much faster recovery than was originally projected.

Brad Marchand during his season debut with the Bruins in the recent win over the Red Wings. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

November 1, 2022

2 minutes to read

Brad Marchand recently made a prolific return to the Bruins lineup after missing the start of the season due to hip surgery.

The 34-year-old winger, who scored two goals and notched an assist in a 5-1 win over the Red Wings on Oct. 27, rejoined the roster after an unexpectedly quick recovery from a double hip arthroscopy and labral repair.

While the injury was originally expected to keep him out until around Thanksgiving, Marchand was able to be back prior to the end of October.

During a recent interview with ESPN hockey reporter Emily Kaplan, Marchand acknowledged that he was always looking for a way to return sooner than the initial six-month timeline.

“I said, ‘We can do this one of two ways,'” he told his medical team. “You can help me where I’m doing it, and we make sure I don’t get hurt. Or I’m just going to do it behind your back, because I’m going to do what I feel I need to do to get back early, and I’ll probably injure myself because I don’t know what I should be doing, and I’m going to do it anyway.”

Eventually, both sides reached a compromise: Marchand would aim for the last week of October. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted (the season opener), but it was better than the original projections.

The full outcome of his expedited rehab remains to be seen, as Marchand has so far only played in one game. Looking beyond the short term, however, is something the veteran forward has the luxury of doing because of his choice to get the surgery on both hips at once.

In a stark admission, Marchand described to Kaplan what he was told following the procedure in May.

“One of the first things the doctor told me after [surgery] was, ‘You’re lucky you did both, because you would’ve been done in a year or two,” Marchand explained. “Because at that point I would’ve needed a whole hip replacement and my career would’ve been over.”

Instead, Marchand — whose playing time is still being managed as he continues to recover — is back in the fold at an ideal time for Boston. Through the opening nine games of the season, the Bruins hold an NHL-best 8-1 record.

Marchand, who made his NHL debut in 2009, has been a Bruins mainstay for more than a decade. The four-time All-Star helped Boston win its first Stanley Cup trophy in 39 years in 2011, and has played in the championship round two other times during his career with the Bruins.