The cat's finally out of the bag, and the moment everyone's been waiting for all summer is finally here.
The Boston Bruins announced Sunday morning that superstar forward David Pastrnak has been named the 28th captain in franchise history.
Pastrnak is the first captain of the Bruins since the team traded Brad Marchand at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline to the Florida Panthers.
Pastrnak, 30, is unquestionably deserving of this honor. He is Boston's leader in several ways, but a moment that perhaps clinched it for many people publicly was his rant following the first period of Game 4 against the Buffalo Sabres, where he ripped into his teammates after trailing 4-0 following the first period:
The most chilling part of the clip is easily when Pastrnak says, "Guy's f***ing playing without an MCL, and this is how you show up? F***ing embarrassing, boys."
Pastrnak referred to Nikita Zadorov in that quote, who had torn his MCL clean off the bone in Game 3, but played through it for the rest of the series.
Pastrnak has worn an 'A' in every season since the 2021-22 season, while posting 100+ points in four straight seasons. Now, that 'A' becomes a 'C,' and deservedly so.
The Bruins spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season without a captain as Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm all wore 'A's, and served as leaders of the new leadership group for the Bruins.
One year later, Pastrnak emerged as the captain. He is the second-ever European captain in Bruins history, joining only Zdeno Chara with that honor.
