Boston Bruins: A 2016 Look At Brad Marchand
As the Boston Bruins head into 2017 and their second half of the season, the team at Causeway Crowd is going to look at every member of the Boston Bruins roster. We’re going to look at where they are now, and where they will hopefully end up by the end of the season.
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Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been one of the best players for the Black and Gold this season. It can be said that only David Pastrnak and Tuukka Rask have outshone Marchand so far this season. The former Bruins pest has evolved into a great scorer and an all-around team player for Boston.
Brad Marchand hasn’t missed a game yet this season with the Bruins. During his 36 games playing in the Black and Gold, he’s put up 29 points. At the moment, Marchand has put up 10 goals, three of them game winners. He currently has a +6 rating with 36 penalty minutes. 103 shots on goal with a 9.7% shot success rate.
Marchand has spent nearly every game playing with Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. Their chemistry has made them one of the top forward pairs in the NHL. Boston’s ‘Little Ball of Hate’ is currently the B’s top point producer. While he has matured into an outstanding player, the 28-year old still has a level of snarl to his game.
“When people make reference to Brad’s peskiness, I think they’re misunderstanding it, actually,” said Brad’s father and former coach, Kevin Marchand. according to the Toronto Sun. “I think what he’s doing is applying his personality in different ways to gain inches on the ice, which are so critical because every inch leads to a goal-scoring chance.”
Marchand is on track for another 50+ point season. He’s set to have another 25 points season. At his current pace, he’ll likely repeat as the Bruins top scorer (unless Pastrnak’s another amazing season continues with the Black and Gold). He’s certainly on Santa’s nice list this year.
Marchand’s goal production has only been hampered by the amount of attention he now gets on the ice. Other teams now give him the kind of ‘rough respect’ that has been shown in the past to Bergeron, Nathan Horton, and Milan Lucic. Still, Marchand uses his agility and tenacity to bedevil other teams in the league.
Marchand’s skill was recognized by Team Canada earlier this year when he was invited to play in the World Cup. He was placed on a line with Sidney Crosby and the Canadians quickly and easily skated to a gold medal. Marchand has certainly matured in this league. The fans have watched him grow up from a fourth-line pest to a top-line problem.
“I’m not much different,” said Marchand about the evolution of the game. “I still play a similar style to how I did back then. But now with the refs, they don’t really deal with a lot anymore and are quick to call things and settle the game down. It’s almost like they want more of a skilled game than an aggressive style, so that’s sort of where my head’s at now. I had to play a certain style to get in the league, but now I want to be a player that stays in the league a long time, and you have to change your game and adapt.”