Whether leading the Boston Bruins in scoring or taking his time in the offseason to guide and mentor young prospects, Brad Marchand is a franchise cornerstone who shows no signs of slowing down as an established veteran and leader.
With the team's main camp set to open this week in Brighton, Mass., the veteran left wing is embracing his role as top scorer and mentor for his teammates.
At age 33, Marchand’s evolution from talented but undisciplined forward to perennial NHL all-star, assistant captain and sterling example for the team’s young players and future hopefuls continues. The left side of Boston’s top line became the first Bruin in nearly 20 years to hit the 100-point plateau (Joe Thornton in 2003) in 2019 and has continued to produce at a similar pace.
However, Marchand represents much more than his statistics indicate.
He has always been an abrasive, agitating winger difficult to play against, but in his younger days, he often let his emotions get the best of him. For the most part, the Nova Scotian who established himself as a full-time NHLer as a rookie when the B’s went on the magical run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11, has matured into a focused and respected player and leader.
The team will need him to be in top form with more roster turbulence than usual, especially with departures by key veteran players.
“This is a little bit different from where we’ve been in the past,” he said recently. “We always have guys that turn over every year as guys come and go. But to have some of our guys leave out of the core group that we’ve had here a long time is a bit of a different feeling. But, there is a lot of excitement around our team. We know we’re very deep and we have a great opportunity this year.”
This past August, while the B’s had 28 drafted, signed and undrafted invited players in town to participate in the weeklong development camp, Marchand made an appearance. He not only talked to the players and provided advice on achieving their hockey objectives but also joined the group during the physical testing portion. That was something that he was not obligated to do given his veteran status, but the fact that he jumped in to participate and ride the bike during their cardiovascular stress testing on the first day was a demonstration of his dedication to the positive team culture so pervasive in Boston.
“I just think that it’s something that I wished I learned at a younger age,” he said when asked about going the extra mile to engage with the youth movement. “It took me getting here and a couple of years where you really watched guys and a lot of tinkering with your training and your eating and your habits, your work ethic. The quicker you learn it, the better position you’re going to put yourself in and the better position our team is going to be in.
“So, we want these young guys to develop and learn it as fast as possible, and the best way is to see the older guys. Also, for me, every year I like to see the kids that are coming in. At the end of the day, eventually, I’m going to be pushed out by somebody and the only way I can stay ahead of that is to see who’s coming and knowing where they’re at and how much harder I need to work to stay ahead of them.”
Where a decade ago, he was a young player new to the NHL, veterans like Mark Recchi and Zdeno Chara helped show him what right looked like in Boston. Now, he carries those examples forward now, as he wears the ‘A’ as an unquestioned core leader in the room.
“When I came in and I saw the older guys work,” he said, citing Patrice Bergeron, Andrew Ference and Recchi as his veteran role models. “I remember watching Rex when he was in his 40’s my first year, and after games he was doing sprints. Stuff like that where you realize why guys have the careers they do is because of their work ethic and they know how to take care of themselves. So, it’s good for those guys to see, and see it firsthand.”
Younger players look up to him for the example he sets, both on and off the ice. Jack Studnicka, who is looking to breakthrough in 2021-22 after a disappointing step backward last season, is appreciative of what Marchand represents for the club.
“He’s a great leader,” Studnicka said after Monday’s captain’s practice. “He leads by example and works so hard. He barely took any time off this offseason after a very good year for him personally. So, something like that, it's easy to work hard yourself and he’s been great this summer helping me with that.”
The roots of Marchand’s progression from solid role player to recognized NHL star happened at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, when he was a member of the Team Canada roster. He scored a shorthanded goal in the final minute of regulation against Team Europe to break a tie and allow Canada to run the table. After that, Marchand’s run of 85-plus-point seasons began and would have continued through 2021, had the regular campaign not been limited to just 54 contests due to COVID-19.
“I kind of felt after that my confidence was higher than anything, I think that’s really the only thing that changed was my mentality,” said Marchand. “I felt like I was in a different place mentally. I don’t know if a ton changed in my game other than just where my head was at. I think in this sport and any sport, your confidence in what you can do is so powerful. It can hold you back or propel you forward.”
That confidence has elevated Marchand from talented if polarizing curiosity to upper-tier NHLer whose all-around game and dangerous offensive game makes him a top-10 performer. It manifests itself in the way he holds himself to a higher standard than ever before, going back to his recognition that there will always be someone trying to take his job in Boston.
“It just goes to show that no matter where you’re at in your career, you gotta put the work in and that’s how you succeed,” he said.
As long as Marchand can keep scoring and leading, he will continue to be a core piece, making the Bruins a tough out.
