IS BRAD MARCHAND DONE IN BOSTON? #bostonbruins #marchand #nhl #bruins #alltime #captain #nhl24 #orr

IS BRAD MARCHAND DONE IN BOSTON? #bostonbruins #marchand #nhl #bruins #alltime #captain #nhl24 #orr

Bradley Kevin Marchand (born May 11, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins selected Marchand in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Marchand was raised in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, the oldest of four children born to two local hockey coaches. Between 2004 and 2008, Marchand played for three junior ice hockey teams: he was drafted by the Moncton Wildcats, was traded to the Val-d’Or Foreurs in 2006, and was traded again to the Halifax Mooseheads in 2007. At the same time, the Bruins were scouting Marchand, and made a trade with the New York Islanders to ensure that he was drafted by Boston in 2006.

After Halifax fell to the Gatineau Olympiques in the 2009 QMJHL championships, with Marchand a healthy scratch for their elimination game, the Bruins told Marchand to stay home and report that fall for training camp. He spent the 2008–09 AHL season with the Providence Bruins before making his NHL debut in October 2009. Marchand was a member of the Bruins’ starting roster in 2010, playing on the fourth line and helping the Bruins win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals after being moved up from the fourth to the first line once the playoffs began. Marchand also helped the Bruins clinch appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013 and 2019, respectively. As time went on, Marchand was increasing both his number of goals per season and his reputation as a pest.

During the 2017–18 NHL season, Marchand received a series of fines, suspensions, and media controversies for hits on his opponents. He decided after the season to focus on improving his character, and followed through by scoring 100 points (36 goals, 64 assists) during the 2018–19 NHL season. Marchand’s high-scoring season was undercut by a disappointing defeat in game seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, and as he moved into the 2019–20 NHL season, Marchand focused on setting up scoring chances for linemates Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrňák. However, Marchand’s reputation of suspensions and rule-breaking behavior continued in the 2021–22 NHL season, as he was suspended a total of nine games in that season alone,[2] and becoming the most suspended player in NHL history, in terms of individual suspensions.

Early life
Marchand was born on May 11, 1988, in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, a suburb of Halifax.[3][4] Marchand was the oldest of four children born to Kevin and Lynn Marchand, with all of his siblings born in a four-year span.[5] His father was known as a goon during his junior ice hockey years, at one time engaging in 40 fights within a 40-game span. After collecting 358 penalty minutes in one season, Kevin Marchand’s coach taught him how to balance the physical aspect of the game with skill and scoring, a lesson which he in turn taught his children as they began their hockey careers.[6] Marchand began playing hockey at the age of two in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, and developed an aggressive playing style from a young age. He remembers beginning to fight in games around the age of 13 as an outlet for his excessive energy. The following year, he hit an opponent with enough force to damage the cage on the player’s helmet.[7] Marchand struggled with his temper throughout his childhood, and took anger management classes as an adolescent. As his hockey career progressed, he would also begin seeing a sport psychologist to address his on-ice frustrations.[5]

Growing up, Marchand became close friends with future National Hockey League (NHL) player Andrew Bodnarchuk, a fellow Hammonds Plains native and his minor ice hockey teammate for the Dartmouth Subways of the Timberlea Amateur Sports Association.[8] Marchand also played for his school team at Madeline Symonds Middle School alongside Bodnarchuk.[9] Marchand gained a reputation both for taking penalties and for riling his opponents during his minor hockey career, and he formed intense rivalries both with his Cole Harbour rivals and with his larger, stronger teammates