The Boston Bruins have been one of the best teams in the NHL for a long time. Nobody can discredit them for everything they’ve accomplished over the years as a franchise.
Last summer, they saw two of their pillars retire. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are two of the greatest Bruins of all time and will always be remembered for their contributions to the team both on and off the ice.
The loss of Bergeron meant that they needed a new captain. Replacing one of the best captains in team history certainly wasn’t easy but it was also an obvious choice at the same time.
Brad Marchand deserved that honor and he got it. There are other incredible players on the Bruins like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy but Marchand has to be the guy right now.
The Boston Bruins are lucky to have Brad Marchand playing for them
In their current playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, we are seeing exactly why he is the perfect man for the job at this stage of his career.
The series was tied 1-1 coming into Wednesday night’s game three. With the game tied at two, Brad Marchand scored the go-ahead goal and the empty netter to seal it late in the third. He put the team on his back the way a good captain does.
Throughout the game, he also did what he does best: get under the opposition's skin. He finds a way to always be annoying which helps him be the productive player that he is.
Marchand’s empty netter tied Cam Neely for the most playoff goals in the history of the Boston Bruins. Leading a 100-year-old franchise in playoff goals is no joke. He’s one of the best playoff performers ever. Doing it while being an all-time great pest makes him even more impactful.
The Bruins and Leafs will play next on Saturday night in Toronto. We’ll see if Marchand can keep the good play going to push Toronto’s back against the wall.