Following a season where he was named team captain and played all 82 games, Brad Marchand will have a chance to cement his place as a legendary figure in Boston Bruins’ history in the 2024-25 season.
Marchand, currently the longest-tenured member of the Bruins, will have to overcome a few off-ice obstacles in order to increase his cement his legacy as an all-time great with the team, however.
According to a report from Matthew Geagan of WBZ News in Boston, Marchand underwent three surgeries in the offseason: one to repair a torn elbow tendon he played through in the 2023-24 season, one for a sports hernia, and another for a groin injury. While Marchand is practicing with the team, his start to real game action has been delayed. However, according to MassLive’s Matt Vautour, Marchand said he would be ready for the season opener.
Regardless of injury status, Marchand is staring down three milestones coming into the season: two will be crowning achievements for himself, and the other will be one that will put him an elite group of players in Boston moving forward.
Marchand Chasing Two Personal Milestones
71. That’s how many games that Marchand has to play in the 2024-25 season in order to hit 1,100 games played mark in the NHL.
After playing all 82 games in the 2023-24 season, plus 73 and 70 in the two seasons prior to last (giving him an average of 75 games per season) chances are good that Marchand hits the mark this season. When he hits the mark is another story as it all depends on health as he is also entering his later 30s.
71 has another meaning to Marchand as it also represents the number of points he needs in order to make it to 1,000 points in his career. In each of the past two seasons, Marchand has collected 67 points. He had 80 points three seasons ago, and 69 points in the COVID-19-shortened 56-game season.
Both of these milestone are attainable, but it will all boil down to when exactly he is able to hit them, and there is a chance it may have to stretch into 2025-26.
Given his commitment to Boston and his ability to lead the team so effectively both as captain in 2023-24 and as an alternate in previous seasons, Marchand is all but assured to see his jersey lifted to the rafters at TD Garden one day. Reaching the 1,100-game mark and 1,000-point mark would solidify his place on a future Hall of Fame ballot.
Another notable number that would aid Marchand in cementing his place as an all-time great with the Bruins is 24. No, Marchand is not changing his jersey number. After all, that number is retired and was last issued to Terry O’Reilly. The number, however, does have special meaning to Marchand within the organizational ranks.
Marchand Closing in on Team Record Milestone
The number 24 represents the number of games that sit between his current games played and the number that would give him sole possession of fourth place on Boston’s all-time games played list.
This would put him ahead of David Krejci and Don Sweeney with 1,032 and 1,053, respectively. This should be a number that, regardless of health status, Marchand should conceivably achieve within the first two months of the season, or maybe even as early as the halfway through the second month of the season.
The next person to pass on that list would be Patrice Bergeron at 1,294. This would put Marchand in sole possession of third-place on this list. While it would be impressive to see Marchand command this spot, it is not something that is attainable for another three seasons at least.
Marchand’s Other Activities in the 2024-25 NHL Season
Marchand will also be featured on Team Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off that comes to Boston in January; he will be representing his country for a fifth time. He will also be searching for his fifth-consecutive first-place finish as a member of Team Canada.
While Marchand’s play representing his country has nothing to do with his legacy within the organization, it does help boost his reputation as an all-time great in the league as a whole.
Look for this season to be a season that Marchand cements his legacy, both with Boston and the league.
