You’ll have to take a momentary back seat, Cam Neely, as current Bruin captain Brad Marchand scored again on Saturday night. The Boston Bruins toppled the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1, in Game 4 of their puck series. The Beantowners now sit on the verge of an NHL playoff showdown against the Florida Panthers in the second round. In constant motion, Marchand used his typical Tasmanian Devil approach to crack a tie with the legendary Neely as the all-time post-season high scorer for the storied Bruin franchise.
After notching his 56th playoff goal for the Bruins since 2011 and passing the revered Neely, the mighty mite shied away from individual glory. Instead, he just switched to Teamspeak. “Guys were committed. We played tight. Guys did a great job getting back and getting sticks in lanes and making it tough on them,” Marchand commented on Boston´s defensive setup. Marchy also chipped in with a nifty assist.
Ray Bourque Next in Line for Brad Marchand?
Cam Neely riddled goalies while playing for both the Canucks and Bruins between 1983 and 1996. Neely now serves as the Boston president. Next in sight for Brad Marchand is smooth-skating Ray Bourque who battled for Boston from 1979 to 2000. Brad Marchand’s assist total (79) puts him third, while his haul of playoff points (135) is second of all time. A multiple winner in All-Star accuracy contests, Bourque leads the pack with 125 assists and a whopping 161 points.
Marchand initially took to the post-season ice for Boston in 2011 and racked up an impressive 19 points in 25 games. In the meantime, the Bruins rewarded fans for their patience, winning it all for the first time since the ancient memory of 1972 (these Boston teams really know how to stretch things out: check the Red Sox beating the 1918 Curse of Babe Ruth by copping the World Series in 2004!).
If You Can’t Beat Boston, Burn Down Your City
In the 2011 Stanley Cup run by Boston, Brad Marchand beat opposing goalies five times, with two precious strikes helping to sink the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the Cup Final. Marchand’s fireworks weren’t too terribly appreciated by Canuck fans. They took to the streets of Vancouver after the loss, leaving a wake of blood (including four stabbings) and destruction (equaling $4 million in damages). Local police ended their night’s work with 85 arrests, according to CTVBC.
At the moment, things are burning in Toronto as well. What’s happening to the high-octane Maple Leafs team that scored at will during the regular season? Fans witnessed various Leafs (is that grammatically correct?!) arguing, muttering, and slamming down their gloves during the tough Game 4 loss. Although the Leafs have won the coveted Cup 13 times, the last one happened to be in 1966-67. The weight of history is especially heavy in the country that “invented” ice hockey.
Marner refused to acknowledge the clear frustration invading the Toronto squad. When asked about the bickering seen on the bench between Matthews and Nylander, he clarified, “We’re grown men. Just a little bit off page there. We’re not yet yelling at each other because we hate each other. We talked about it after. We’re just trying to make a play.”
“We expect a lot from each other, and we love each other. Just to push each other, have a high ceiling, I think is great,” claimed Nylander. The only real problem with the Leafs’ ceiling is the Bruins’ desire to end the series at home on April 30.
What Makes Monsieur Brad Marchand So Special?
Like the Boston Bruins logo, the “spoked B” (as Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote that the Boston State House was “the center of the universe”), Brad Marchand has been a central piece of the Boston organization for 13 years. Nicknamed “The Rat” and renowned for his “agitating playing style,” Marchand has represented his Canadian homeland on the international stage. To guarantee his place in the pantheon of Boston Bruin stars, he’s held the Cup aloft twice, the second time in 2019.
Besides his on-ice success, Brad’s into various charitable causes, leveraging his platform as a pro player to give something back to the community. On the other hand, when ex-president Obama welcomed the Bruins to the White House, he jokingly called Brad Marchand “the little ball of hate.” Brad laughed it off (after all, he’d just won the Stanley Cup).
“I guess if the president of the United States gives you a nickname, you have to stick with it,” Marchand cracked to Sports Illustrated magazine.
More recently, he was awarded another dubious distinction by his peers. They dubbed Brad Marchand “the NHL’s best and worst trash talker.”
Get More Great Content:
Author Will Beebe once tried to shut down Carolina’s all-time leading scorer (and former Hartford Whaler) Ronnie Francis in a friendly game. Beebe also learned one of his best childhood friends Rex now pilots a Zamboni for the Florida Panthers in his free time.