Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is putting together another fantastic season, and on Monday night he reached an impressive milestone that serves as further evidence of his tremendous impact on the historic Original Six franchise.
Marchand got the Bruins on the board in the first period with his 16th goal of the season. The B's eventually fell behind 3-2, but Marchand helped them force overtime with a tying goal at 14:04 of the third period. The Bruins ultimately lost in a shootout, but they wouldn't have taken a point from this game without Marchand's heroics.
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"Marchy was terrific tonight," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the game. "I thought he led really well. He was very vocal on the bench about how we need to get to our game and explaining to his teammates what we had to do."
The two goals also moved Marchand above Bruins legend Rick Middleton and into sole possession of fifth place on the franchise's career scoring leaderboard.
Depending on how long Marchand plays, it's possible he moves ahead of Phil Esposito and former teammate Patrice Bergeron for third place. Reaching Johnny Bucyk and Ray Bourque would be pretty difficult.
1. Ray Bourque: 1,506 points
2. Johnny Bucyk: 1,339
3. Patrice Bergeron: 1,040
4. Phil Esposito: 1,012
5. Brad Marchand: 899
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Marchand is probably one of the most underrated Boston sports stars of the last 50 years. He does not get enough credit for his scoring production, elite defensive play and postseason performance. The fact that only four players in the 100-year history of the Bruins have tallied more points than Marchand is really something.
Despite having double hip surgery in 2022, and then losing his longtime linemate Bergeron last summer, Marchand is still close to a point-per-game scorer during the 2023-24 campaign. He has 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists) in 39 games, while also playing a key role on special teams and providing excellent leadership as captain.
Marchand is 35 years old and still arguably the best all-around left wing in the sport. It's remarkable the level he's playing at, and the Bruins need it to continue to make a deep playoff run in the spring.