Patrice Bergeron remembered his first impressions of Brad Marchand
"He’s become one of the best left wingers in the game. I’m so proud of him.”
Brad Marchand has come a long way during his 15 seasons with the Boston Bruins.
Once regarded as a pugnacious agitator destined to pester opponents and dole out welts in a fourth-line role, Marchand will likely see his No. 63 jersey raised to the TD Garden rafters in due time.
The case can be made that Marchand will eventually earn a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, given his extended reign as one of the top two-way wings in the NHL.
And while those lofty stats and stacked resume might have been hard to predict a decade ago, Marchand’s longtime linemate and friend Patrice Bergeron knew there was something special with the determined winger from the jump.
When appearing on NESN Tuesday during Marchand’s 1,000th career NHL game, Bergeron was asked about his first impression of Marchand many years ago.
“What I saw was a very determined kid that wanted to make an impression anyway he could,” Bergeron told NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley during the second period of Boston’s eventual 3-2 shootout loss to the Lightning. “I remember seeing him at dev camp the first time and then obviously at training camp.
“I just saw a kid that was determined, that was eager to learn and wanted to stick around and make a name for himself any way he could.”
It didn’t take very long for Bergeron and Marchand to eventually develop into one of the best duos in Boston sports history.
Still, the former Bruins center acknowledged that the Marchand currently leading the 2023-24 Bruins as their captain is a far different player from the on-ice wrecking ball who first started logging shifts next to Bergeron in 2010-11.
“I think his awareness in so many areas,” Bergeron said. “I think it’s the way he has approached each and every game with the experience. I think he used to, at times, making people kind of tick or get under their skin in a way that maybe was taking his game off as well.
“And I think over time, he learned to do it in a way that was hurting the other team and he was actually thriving on it. He’s become one of the best left wingers in the game. I’m so proud of him.”
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