Boston Bruins Captain Reacts To Upcoming 1000th NHL Game
Brad Marchand will play his 1000th NHL game Tuesday night at TD Garden against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Boston Bruins Captain Reacts To Upcoming 1000th NHL GameBrad Marchand never thought he would be in this moment.
Tuesday night at TD Garden, when the Boston Bruins take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, will mark the captain’s 1000th game in the National Hockey League – all of which have been played in the Black and Gold.
“It’d be tough to believe,” Marchand said Saturday of what his younger self would think of the accolade. “I think as a young player, you don’t really think that far ahead. The only thing you’re really worried about is trying to get here.”
Selected by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft as an undersized winger, Marchand’s ascension to being an indispensable piece of Boston’s top six – and the team’s 27th captain – speaks to the grit and perseverance that have become signature to his game.
“It’s very special. Obviously it doesn’t happen often. But I really try not to look at it or to think about it,” Marchand said.
Marchand’s 48 points (25 goals, 23 assists) this season, and career total 910 points (397 goals, 513 assists) have fueled the Bruins’ success, but the 35-year-old isn’t content just yet. He wants another Stanley Cup.
“Kind of the mindset has always been – it was a goal at one point, and then not too long ago it was no longer a goal because I have much larger goals now,” Marchand said.
Marchand and the Bruins will look to get back to their winning ways Tuesday after dropping two out of their last three games on home ice – 4-1 to the Calgary Flames on Feb. 6 and 3-0 to the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
Despite the upcoming individual milestone, Marchand remains focused on the bigger picture for his team.
“It’s special, but I try not to get caught up in that because the last thing you want to do is start thinking you’ve accomplished anything. Every single day there is still something to prove,” Marchand said.