BOSTON — Patrice Bergeron played with Brad Marchand for his entire career before the former retired over the summer. He saw Marchand go from a player who had a reputation as being a bit of a dirty player who found himself in trouble with the league to being a leader on and off the ice.
With how Marchand’s career started, many would probably think it would be near impossible for him to one day be the captain of the Boston Bruins. That became a reality after Bergeron retired. It was an honor Marchand certainly earned. He’s worked hard to rebuild his image and now he’s one of the league’s elite players.
“He’s become one of the best left wingers in the game,” Bergeron told NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley during the second period of Tuesday’s game between Boston and the Tampa Bay Lightning. “I’m so proud of him.”
On Tuesday, Marchand reached a milestone that only seven others — including Bergeron — reached with the organization: Playing in 1,000 games. Bergeron had a front-row seat to Marchand’s growth, and knew he was something special from the jump.
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“What I saw was a very determined kid that wanted to make an impression anyway he could,” Bergeron said. “I remember seeing him at (development) camp the first time and then obviously at training camp. I just saw a kid that was determined, that was eager to learn and wanted to stick around and make a name for himself anyway he could.”
Marchand did just that. And while the name he made for himself wasn’t always in a positive light to start, it was in 2016 when Bergeron and Marchand were playing on Team Canada in the World Cup in 2016 that the former captain saw a turning point in the current captain.
“The way he approached it. I think he realized he was one of the best players in the world, and I don’t think he really understood that before,” Bergeron said. “I think after that, his confidence level went up, increased and took off from there. It was a treat to watch him evolve the way he did.”
When asked about Bergeron’s comments, Marchand wholeheartedly agreed that 2016 “absolutely” was when his confidence grew, and credited his former teammate, and two NHL veterans, for helping him in that regard.
“That was the moment I think that really projected my confidence level to another level. I remember sitting in that room the first day. I was sitting there with all those guys and I couldn’t believe I had that opportunity. I felt very grateful,” Marchand said. “I was playing with Bergy and the way that they worked at that time is to play in pairs and try to get guys that worked well together. So I kind of rode his coattails onto that team.
“But once I got there and I realized that those guys are obviously very gifted and and the best in the world. But they know that and they play like that every night and I didn’t,” he continued. “I put them on a pedestal and when I came away from that tournament, I would walk into games as if I was the best player on the ice and that was my mindset. Whether it was true or not, it didn’t matter. It allowed me to kind of play in that another level and I also got to see the way that they competed every day, and the way they trained. That summer I trained a lot and skated a lot with (Sidney Crosby), (Nathan MacKinnon), Bergy. A lot of guys came into Halifax to train. And I got a much better look at why the dedication that they had off the ice and what propelled them. And you take that and you run with it and you have that mindset that you can achieve anything. Sky’s the limit.”
Marchand continues to play at a high level at 35 years old. He doesn’t know if he’ll play into his 40s like his former teammate, Zdeno Chara, but he’s just happy to be living his dream every day.
The Bruins will honor Marchand on Monday afternoon for playing 1,000 games with a pregame ceremony. He’ll likely receive gifts, including the NHL’s silver stick.
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