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BHN Puck Links: Bruins Marchand Won’t Retire ‘Til They Boot Me Out’

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Boston Bruins

BRIGHTON, Mass – Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand is always quick with a quip or a funny line when you ask him about the big questions.

Case in point, Marchand was ready when asked about how much longer he wants to play in the NHL as a 33-year-old left winger that’s still very much in the prime of his career. Certainly, he’s closer to the end than the beginning as he enters his 11th season in the NHL, but it also sounds there’s a lot left in the tank.

Or maybe not given some of the troubles he had earlier in his career controlling his discipline, which led to fines, suspensions and consistent trouble with the NHL sheriffs.

“Until they boot me out of the league,” said Marchand with a smirk after scoring 29 goals and 69 points in 53 games last season. “Which, with my history, could be tomorrow. The one thing when you talk to a lot of the older guys that have retired and moved on, the feed back is that you play as long as you can. Once you’re done, it ain’t coming back and you’ve got a long life ahead of you.

“That’s how I tend to look at it. Maybe that transition is that I go back down from first, to second, to third, to fourth line again. Or maybe I become a defenseman? Hopefully it’s a long time [from now].”

It’s clearly a good thing that’s the answer as Marchand still has four years remaining on his current contract with the Black and Gold.

The questions are coming up more now, though, with his linemate Patrice Bergeron at 36 years old and entering the final year of his contract with the Boston Bruins. But it feels like even if that’s the case, both Bergeron and Marchand have several good years left before they even begin to entertain thoughts of what they might be doing after their careers with the Black and Gold.

Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*Bruce Cassidy and Jake DeBrusk are on the same page after a chat this offseason, but it remains to be seen what that’s going to mean for DeBrusk’s performance on the ice after a down season. (Boston Hockey Now)

*Jack Studnicka is absolutely in the mix for the open No. 2 center spot for the Boston Bruins as training camp opens, though he may need to develop better line chemistry with Craig Smith and Taylor Hall.

*Evander Kane will not participate in San Jose Sharks training camp “until further notice” amidst a parade of serious accusations floating around about the Sharks power forward. (San Jose Hockey Now)

*Four burning questions for the Washington Capitals as NHL training camps open across the league. (Washington Hockey Now)

*In a tough blow to the Colorado Avalanche, Devon Toews is expected to miss the first part of the season after offseason shoulder surgery. (Colorado Hockey Now)

*Great piece from FOH (Friend of Haggs) Kevin Allen on selfish move by Tyler Bertuzzi to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine and voluntarily sit out Detroit’s games in Canada. As I wrote in my Facebook Bulletin piece, however you look at it this is a player putting his own personal preference ahead of the Detroit Red Wings team he plays for. That goes against the hockey code in just about every way. (Detroit Hockey Now)

*Jack Eichel has been stripped of the captaincy with the Buffalo Sabres as things continue to go bad between the player and the only NHL club that he’s played for. (Boston Hockey Now)

*Can the Tampa Bay Lightning make it three Stanley Cups in a row? While still formidable, I just don’t see it given the roster losses and the strain of trying to win three Cups in a row. (NHL.com)

*God bless Kevin Hayes playing this season in honor of his brother, Jimmy. Kevin is showing exactly what kind of character the Hayes family has in talking about his brother and what they’ve all been going through over the last month. (ESPN.com)

*For something completely different: Foo Fighters with the cover story on October’s issue of Rolling Stone. Yes, please. (Rolling Stone)

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