Bruins Brad Marchand a Motivating Force at Camp

BRIGHTON – Brad Marchand was one happy camper, Wednesday morning at Warrior Arena.

After spending the first three weeks on the mend, recovering from multiple offseason surgeries, the Bruins team captain was a full participant at training camp.  The 5-foot-9, 176-pound all-star left winger sported plenty of pep in his step in several on-ice drills.

Marchand playfully mixed it up with several teammates both old and new, letting everyone know that the ‘Little Ball of Hate” was back at 100 percent.

“I’m feeling good,” said Marchand, 36.  “It feels good to be out there and not in a non-contact jersey. Hopefully as things progress I’ll get into a couple games going into camp and be ready for the season.”

Despite recovering from three procedures, Marchand continued to be a constant presence throughout camp. He’s set a great example as the first on the ice before each practice session, a full hour ahead of the team’s initial workouts.

“It’s amazing how much energy and competitiveness he has at practice all by himself,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.

Marchand is coming off another stellar season scoring 29 goals and 67 points in 82 games.  He spent much of the summer on the mend, however, undergoing three surgeries to his elbow, abdomen and sports hernia. He appeared fully recovered, however, taking skating shifts along with center Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie

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“Fitness level feels fine,” said Marchand. “It’s more the pace. The timing, making plays under pressure. You normally have 2-3 months to practice and have that consistently throughout the summer. Getting that back is a little bit off, but every day I feel conditioning is catching up. I don’t feel out of place in that. It’s definitely something I need to focus to work on.”

Marchand’s energy was also quite contagious with a number of teammates stepping up their pace as well.

“I love being out there,” said Marchand. “One of the biggest things about our group is we’re competitive. The tempo is usually high. Especially in battle drills and compete drills. That’s where you want to show up. Theres always times at practice where you’re a little sore and tired, and just trying to be clean in your reps. But we all want to step up.”

One player feeding off Marchand’s distinctive energy was Morgan Geekie. The Bruins forward posted career-best numbers last season in his first year with Boston. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound winger scored 17 goals, 22 assists and 39 points in 76 games. He is among a handful of players vying for the coveted second line right winger spot.  Geekie is part of a wide array of players looking to land the job. The list includes veteran Tyler Johnson, relative newcomers Matthew Poitras, Justin Brazeau and highly touted prospect Fabian Lysell.

A talented 5-foot-11, 181-pound Swedish sharpshooter, Lysell scored a big goal in the Bruins 4-2 exhibition win over the Washington Capitals, Monday. And with Russian center Georgii Merkulov also making strides picking up an assist, it appears the next wave of Bruins stars are on the rise.

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“It’s encouraging,’ said Marchand. “But for those guys to make the team you have to push out other guys. Pretty good is not going to cut it. If your happy with that, then you’ve got a longways to go. It’s a good first step, but they need to continue to grow to get better. Not just making plays but being clean with the puck and not turning it over.”

Marchand speaks from experience. Selected by Boston in the third round (71st overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, he had to earn his keep spending the bulk of his first two seasons with AHL Providence Bruins. He made the jump to Boston at the start of the 2009-10 season, and was held goalless in his first 20 NHL games.

“Originally, they wanted me to be a fourth line energy guy,” said Marchand, noting his willingness to work on the PK as something that kept him around . “What you learn is the opportunities you’re given in practice. You’re not just out there to take reps. Your there to take spots and draw your ice time. It happened (to me) because I had a couple good practices.”

A key cog in the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup championship, Marchand since cemented his legacy as one of the team’s all-time greats. He elevated his play with relentless precision. The grinding winger went from 41 points in his first full season, to that of a 100-point scorer in 2018-19. Throughout it all he maintained a tireless work ethic that has been the cornerstone of his success.\

A member of the Bruins Centennial Team, Marchand enters the new season in the top 10 of nearly every statistical category in franchise history. He has 401 career goals (fifth), 528 assists (seventh) and 929 points (fifth) in 1,029 regular season games (sixth).

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A lot of the Bruins current rookie class could learn a lot by his example.

“Just because you’re not getting the role or ice time you want doesn’t mean you can’t get there,” said Marchand. “Very few guys come in and get top two line ice time. You’ve got to find ways to earn it. If you can do that, eventually you’ll get an opportunity. That usually starts with practice.”

Coach Montgomery agrees.

“To fit into a top six no matter who you are, is pretty hard to do,” said Montgomery. “Patrice Bergeron didn’t start in the top six. He learned the details and figured out what he had to do to have an impact on the game. To win one-on-one battles, run someone through a wall, become an elite penalty killer, to use your speed. Whatever your assets are, you can’t be one dimensional.”

“And for a guy like our captain, Brad Marchand, it’s his competitive fire,” he added. “It’s his second and third effort. It’s his fourth and eighth effort. Its beyond anything that I’ve seen on a regular day-to-day. That’s what separates him.  That’s why he could be the fourth line guy that Claude Julien loved. Or a top six power play guy that Bruce Cassidey loved. I inherited a great player and a great leader.”

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