Brad Marchand named captain of the Boston Bruins
BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins have a new captain. The "C" now belongs to Brad Marchand.
The Bruins made the announcement Wednesday morning with a video shared on the team's social media accounts. Marchand looks pretty happy to have that "C" attached to his Bruins sweater:
"Hey guys, it's your captain speaking," Marchand said in a video on Wednesday. "I just want to thank everyone for your support. I am truly very honored and take a ton of pride in wearing this jersey and being part of this organization and this team.
"We are very excited for this year to get going, excited training camp is underway. I wanted to thank everyone again for their support and hope everyone is excited about the year as I am," Marchand continued. "Looking forward to going through this journey with you guys."
"I am extremely proud of Brad and the hockey player he has become," Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs said in a release. "Brad has been a Bruin for over 15 years and had the opportunity to learn from great leaders in Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. He is ready for this opportunity and our whole team will learn from his competitive nature and tenacity. I am confident he will represent our organization with heart and grit."
Marchand is now the 27th captain in Bruins history, taking the torch from Patrice Bergeron, who was Boston's captain for the last three seasons before announcing his retirement in July. Following the retirement of Bergeron and David Krejci, Marchand is now the longest-tenured member of the Bruins as he heads into his 15th NHL season.
He has certainly earned his captaincy, both through his production on the ice and his leadership in the dressing room. Boston drafted Marchand in the third round of the 2006 draft, and he broke into the NHL in the 2009-10 season as a bottom-six forward. He climbed up Boston's lines and was riding with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, scoring 11 goals over 25 playoff games.
While Marchand has a reputation for toeing the line, one that has earned him his share of discipline from the league, he has grown a lot over the years. The four-time All-Star has become a much more vocal leader since Zdeno Chara departed Boston after 2020, and heads into next season with 372 goals and 490 assists for his career.
Marchand spoke about potentially being named captain earlier this offseason, and made it clear that filling Bergeron's shoes from a leadership standpoint will not fall on just one person. But with the "C" on his sweater, Marhand will be the guy that players lean on, a much-deserved and well-earned role for the 35-year-old winger.
