Brad Marchand ready to wear the C "for real" in Wednesday night's Bruins opener

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand has been proudly skating around with the "C" on his sweater for the last three weeks. There's a good chance he's got a few shirts at home that now have a "C" patched on to them, based on how honored he is with his new role.

Marchand was named the 27th captain of the Boston Bruins back on Sept. 20. He's led the team on the ice throughout training camp and really upped his vocal leadership throughout training camp, making it crystal clear that he does not take this honor lightly. Taking over for Patrice Bergeron, after all, is a pretty high honor.

But with the Bruins set to open their 2023-24 season against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden, even Marchand admits that the "C" on his sweater will carry a lot more meaning come Wednesday night. 

"It's for real tonight. It definitely doesn't have the same meaning in training camp," Marchand said after Wednesday's morning skate. "It's special to put it on every night, but it's for real tonight and I'm really looking forward to it. Everyone has a lot of family and friends in town tonight, so it's an exciting time for everyone."  

No one on the current roster has been a Bruin longer than Marchand, as he gets set for his 15th season in the NHL. The hype around the Bruins is fairly tempered after last season's disappointing finish, followed by the retirements of Bergeron and David Krejci. Marchand won't be skating alongside Bergeron anymore, and will instead be with Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk on Boston's top line.

While no one is expecting the historic results of last regular season, the Bruins are still capable of making noise this year. While two important veterans are now gone, there are promising young forwards in Matthew Poitras and John Beecher. Both are set to make their NHL debuts Wednesday night, after both earned a spot on the roster thanks to their impressive play in the preseason. 

Marchand was once in their shoes, but won't feel the need to overload them with advice ahead of Wednesday's game. So far, he's liked what he's seen out of Boston's youngsters.

 "You just have to let them feel it out, right? There is not a whole lot of difference between the last game we had -- that was our full roster in New York. There will be some extra excitement for tonight, but they seem to be handling it really well," he said. "They're good pros already at a young age, so I'm excited for them."

Marchand himself will feel a few butterflies ahead of Wednesday's game. But the new captain is locked and ready to get going.

"It's what we've been building for all camp, all summer. Lets get back at it," he said.