‘They’re two different birds’: The Bruins’ own version of ‘The Odd Couple’ in Patrice Bergeron & Brad Marchand aren't slowing down

There are few that can escape the buzzsaw that is Brad Marchand’s barrage of chirps and digs — which are doled out regularly to both opponents on the ice and teammates in the Bruins’ locker room.

The loquacious winger can get pretty creative when it comes to landing a few verbal barbs, but he doesn’t have to dig pretty deep for material on Tuesday night — with linemate Patrice Bergeron set to play in his 1,000th career game.

So, what kind of geriatric-themed jokes does Marchand have ready to fire away at his longtime pivot?

“You don’t s--- where you eat, right,” Marchand said with a grin Tuesday. “I would never do something like that. Can’t do that.”

While originally serving as a bottom-six pest up in the NHL ranks, Marchand has usually found himself to the left of Bergeron throughout most of nine full seasons in Boston. 

Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Bruins have rolled out five lines that have logged at least 1,000 minutes of 5v5 time together. Of those five trios, three have featured Bergeron entrenched at center, along with Marchand on the wing: (Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak - 1,491 minutes, Marchand-Bergeron-Smith - 1,199 minutes and Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin - 1,064 minutes).

In total, since Marchand stayed up in the NHL for good in 2010, No. 63 and No. 37 have played over 5,700 minutes of 5v5 time on ice together — with both skaters combining for 451 goals, 1,013 points and one Stanley Cup championship since sharing the same locker room.

At first glance, it seems like an odd fit —  a boisterous trash talker like Marchand becoming inseparable with a player that tends to let his play do the talking in Bergeron.

“He’s obviously a guy that lights up the mood and does the talking,” Bergeron said of Marchand. “I don’t have to do too much of that, so it’s actually great for that. … I don’t know, sometimes they say that opposites attract, and that’s what he is.”

Whatever that equilibrium is between Bergeron’s reserved intensity and Marchand’s outgoing capers — the duo have certainly found it, creating a camaraderie both on and off the ice that has been a mainstay of the Bruins’ latest resurgence of the past decade.


While Marchand had to claw up the depth chart upon cracking a NHL roster, the 30-year-old winger was quick to note that his first game with the Bruins found him on a line with Bergeron and Michael Ryder. As the 2010-11 season progressed, Marchand started to earn more and more minutes alongside Bergeron — already an established two-way force in his seventh season with Boston. 

He might have been just 22-year-old rookie at the start of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Marchand had already spent much of his first full NHL campaign soaking up as much as he could while earning most of his reps on a line with Bergeron and a future Hall of Famer in Mark Recchi.

“When it first happened and I jumped up with him and Recchi, my big thing was, ‘That’s a pretty good opportunity. Don’t ruin it,’” Marchand said. “It’s great that it kind of stuck and worked. ...That was one of the things that Claude (Julien) tried to preach at me a lot about, was being more like Bergy as a player, person and teammate and kind of try to follow in his footsteps. Obviously I’m not going to be like Bergy, but try to be more of a two-way guy and more of a complete player. Kind of have that competitive edge the way that Bergy does. If you kind of work that into your overall game, then hopefully it works and it stuck.”

Learning the ropes under the tutelage of players like Bergeron and Recchi paid dividends under the bright lights of the postseason for Marchand, as both him and his center tallied 17 goals and 39 points en route to Boston’s first Stanley Cup since the 1971-72 season.

“We worked a lot together, he was great with me early on,” Marchand said of Bergeron. “He really opened up the communication line and worked with me a ton, him and Rechs. He kind of told me ways that I could improve and connect with him out on the ice and it kind of snowballed form there. It’s been a very long relationship and it doesn’t happen often in this game.”

That collaboration and focus on improving their overall games continues now in Bergeron and Marchand’s 15th and ninth season, respectively, with the Bruins. It’s that passion for hockey and a willingness to spend hours upon hours together in pursuit of the same goal that has allowed Bergeron and Marchand to form their own hockey version of The Odd Couple over the years.



“They’re two different birds, you throw (David Pastrnak) in that mix," Bruce Cassidy said. "So you've got three different personalities but three similar approaches in how much passion they have for the game. … You watch these guys out here after practice, they enjoy coming to the rink, they enjoy working. That’s what makes them great leaders.

“It just speaks to their level of commitment. Marchy is a bit of an odd duck compared to Bergy. If you look at the personalities. Very outgoing, Marchy, Pasta is the same and Bergy is a little more reserved. It is a little surprising that they would connect. I think Marchy just has the utmost respect for Bergy and wanting to emulate everything he did. He’s still trying to do that.”

As Boston’s locker room continues to fill with more and more younger players like Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, Marchand notes that Bergeron has continued to serve the same role he did while guiding along the 22-year-old Marchand way back when.

It’s both Bergeron’s willingness to work with unproven skaters and the respect he shows for any player — rookie or veteran — that dons the spoked-B that allowed him and Marchand to become close friends right off the bat — starting a friendship that has only grown stronger over the years.

“I think it starts with a working relationship and playing together on a line,” Marchand said of his friendship with Bergeron. “But he’s such a great guy. He gets along with everybody. He makes a big effort with everybody to connect and build relationships and with the amount we’ve been together, it kind of filtered over off the ice with mutual respect and friendship.

“It’s just kind of something that’s grown. We spend a lot of time together on the road and amongst the group. It’s very easy to build relationships off the ice in those situations. When we open up a bit, we’re not that different behind closed doors. He’s a fun guy and likes to joke around and have a good time. He’s a great person.”

So, for now, Marchand will hold off on any jokes at Bergeron’s expense on Tuesday night. Perhaps he’ll save the ammo for his linemate’s 1,500th outing a few years down the road? That’s quite a few campaigns ahead, but given the rate that they’re going, it’d surprise very few if No. 37 and No. 63 remain entrenched in their same spots for years to come.

“It’s a pretty incredible achievement,” Marchand said of Bergeron’s upcoming milestone. “Another accolade that that he has in his resume. He’s still very young to have 1,000 games and he’s missed a lot too. It’s great to see him reach that milestone and get into a pretty special club. He still has a lot of games left, but it’s been a lot of fun to watch him and see him achieve all of these goals.”