Boston Bruins forward hit the 70-point mark on Wednesday. That makes him the first Bruin to get there since Marc Savard did it in the 2008-09 season.
Brad Marchand became the first player in nearly a decade to hit the 70-point mark for the Boston Bruins. The B’s winger put in his 31st and 32nd goals of the season as part of a 6-1 shellacking of the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night.
Marchand has had an impressive year with the Black and Gold. The 28-year old forward has passed his previous record of 61 points, and is on track to hit 80 points by the end of the season. He’s only five goals off his personal best for goals as well. In the last 15 games, he’s put in 23 points for Boston, and has been a big part of the B’s holding on the a playoff spot.
It’s been a season of milestones for the Halifax native. He played in his 500th NHL game earlier this season (his eighth in the NHL). He’s currently in a five-way tie for second in point totals in the NHL, someplace he’s never been before (especially this late in the season). He’s also tied for second in goals.
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“It’s a nice accomplishment. I think it just speaks volumes of how well guys are playing and I’ve been benefiting a lot from that,” said Marchand of his current status in the league. “[David Pastrnak‘s] been hot all year and being put on the power-play unit we’ve had success. [Patrice Bergeron] the last 30 games is, I think, over a point per game. I’m just playing with guys that are having great years and I’ve been benefiting from that.”
Marchand is just one of 15 players in the league that is keeping up a point-a-game pace this season. Of those other 14 players, only Tyler Seguin has played as many games as Boston’s Little Ball of Hate.
Marchand has completely come into his own in the NHL. He’s finally achieved elite status in the league, a far cry from the fourth line pest that was put out on the ice to cause problems and draw penalties.
He’s also matured a lot over these eight seasons. While the cockiness and the swagger can still be found, he’s concentrated a lot more on his game. He now lets his skills do most of the talking. For all his success, he has nothing but gratitude for the players that have helped him along the path in his career.
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“I think I’m just playing with elite players,” offered Marchand on how he’s progressed in his career. “In our group you’re expected to play at the same level of those guys and I’ve been fortunate enough to play with those guys for a long time. And when you learn from guys like Bergy and [Zdeno Chara] and in previous years, Recchi, Chris Kelly, Andrew Ference, you learn to become a pro.
He’s certainly become a pro this year. For the first time in his career, there has been serious discussion regarding Marchand. Among the big names in hockey, he’s now considered to be one of the best players in the game.
“I think it just shows the leadership we’ve had over the past years to help our young guys grow,” continued Marchand. “Fortunately I’ve been put in a position where things are going well and been blessed to be a part of this organization for a long time.”