Brad Marchand reflects on 1,000 games — and what’s next for Bruins captain
"We live a lot of kids' dreams. I live my dream every day."
For a player who has crafted a potential Hall-of-Fame career out of inner drive, an unremitting fear of complacency, and a permanent chip on his shoulder, Brad Marchand tried to tune out his emotions on Tuesday night.
The fourth-line pest who evolved into a top-line stalwart, Marchand tried to stay grounded ahead of puck drop against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With a “C” now stitched on his sweater, Marchand was focused more on righting the ship for a Bruins team coming off of a dreadful loss to the Capitals on Saturday.
But as he collected his thoughts on the TD Garden ice as Todd Angilly belted his rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Marchand finally let the moment hit him.
After all, few could have predicted back in 2010 that the pugnacious winger would eventually log 1,000 NHL games on his resume.
“I really kind of tried to block a lot out of my mind before the game and just tried to stay focused in the moment,” Marchand said of his emotional response ahead of hitting a new career milestone. “But it’s something that I’ve gone through with a lot of these moments with [Patrice Bergeron] and [David Krejci] and [Zdeno Chara].
“And that’s one of the things that I remember that they did. They tried to just take it in and savor the moment. And that was kind of the opportunity to do that.”
Minutes after the puck dropped between Boston and Tampa, Marchand received a standing ovation from the Garden crowd after a video tribute highlighted his accomplishments. Marchand, who first ingratiated himself to Bruins fans over 15 years ago, signaled his appreciation with a wave.
“I know how fortunate I am to be part of this organization. … That’s part of what I love so much about being here is how much the fans care, how much they embrace the team,” Marchand said. “It truly is special. … I just can’t believe how fast it’s already gone. And it’s something you want to make last forever.
“But we’ve all got a shelf life and to look back on it and see some of those memories — it’s very special. You don’t get to remember them every day, but that was one I’ll remember forever.”
Marchand, who recorded two assists in Boston’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Lightning, is still going strong, even at 35 years old. Less than two years removed from major offseason surgery on both of his hips, Marchand is on pace for 39 goals in 2023-24 — which would tie his career high for tallies in a season.
With the 2026 Olympics standing as another target for the veteran winger to add to his career to-do list, Marchand hopes to keep on playing into his late 30s.
But could he follow in the footsteps of his former captain in Chara and push his career into the 40s?
Considering his history of defying the odds, one shouldn’t put such a scenario past him.
“That’s to be seen. The way I kind of feel about that is as long as my body’s holding up and I can compete at a high level, then yes,” Marchand said of playing for several more years. “We’re very fortunate to play this game and to do what we do — we live a lot of kids’ dreams. I live my dream every day. I get to play this game, allow my kids to see me play the game and do what I love and be a role model for them and show them that if they put their mind to it and they work hard, they can achieve anything.
“So I wouldn’t want to walk away from that for them. But there’s a long time between now and then and there’s a lot of things that I want to do before that. So we’ll see.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com