How Brad Marchand evolved from pest to mentor for next generation of Bruins' talent

BRIGHTON — Brad Marchand has always been one to bet on himself. 

Such is the self-assured mentality that one needs to take in order to claw themselves out of the lower rungs of an AHL depth chart and punch their ticket up to the NHL ranks. Embracing that chip on his shoulder and soaking up the venom routinely spewed his way during his days as one of hockey’s top agitators stood as a foundation in how he elevated his game from fourth-line pest to top-six stalwart. 

But to mold himself from a key cog into arguably the top left wing in the game? Well, that was a process that started long before he entrenched himself on Boston’s top line — and he needed some help along the way. 

Even during his early days up in the pros where Marchand was more known for his hot-headed antics than the highlight-reel skill he would eventually unveil, the rookie found himself in a fortunate spot as a fly on the wall in a veteran-heavy B’s locker room anchored by future Hall of Famers like Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. 

“When I came in and I saw the older guys working and I watched Zee and Bergey and Rex,” Marchand said. “I remember watching Rex when he was in his 40s and after games (he was) doing sprints — stuff like that, where you realize why guys have the careers they do is because of the work ethic and they just know how to take care of themselves.”

As confident as Marchand has always been about his own talent and drive, following in the footsteps of established voices in the room has been just as important to his growth when it comes to carving out the career that he’s built for himself.

And now, the 33-year-old winger sure seems intent on paying it forward when it comes to imparting his wisdom on the next wave of B’s talent. 

The usual spiel is doled out when rookies and other green pieces of Boston’s pipeline arrive at Warrior Ice Arena for both Development and Rookie Camps each summer. Aside from the expected on-ice drills and off-ice gauntlet of assault-bike tests, the message is presented loud and clear from Boston’s coaches and top brass about the key principles of the organization and the standards put in place for anyone that dons a black-and-gold sweater.

But, frankly, it’s not as if Boston’s staff needs to waste much breath giving said speeches. Most prospects just needed to walk down the hall to see that sentiment put into effect with Marchand in the gym.

A common theme throughout the last couple of seasons has been the growing influence of a player like Marchand — who delivered a speech to the incoming crop of youngsters at the start of Dev Camp last month before leading by example as an extremely overqualified participant during the team’s off-ice testing. 

Now set to enter his 13th season in the NHL, Marchand has little to prove when it comes to such tests, but his presence goes a long way toward setting the tone for the plenty other inquisitive minds that found themselves in a similar spot as Marchand more than a decade ago. 

"For him to just jump into the bike test, which is not an easy task by any stretch, just because he was here and he wanted to show the guys what it takes – I mean, I think that's pretty impressive and it speaks for itself on why he's one of the best players in the NHL,” goalie Kyle Keyser said. “Any time we can have that kind of guy with that experience and knowledge around the rink, especially as us young guys learning and trying to emulate some of these guys, I think it's huge for us to see the kind of work ethic and what he brings to the rink every single day as a professional.”

That commitment to honing his game at this stage of his career and not settling for the already lofty of level of play Marchand is currently at has been noticed by plenty of Boston’s top development staff — especially when it comes to the impact he’s had on youngsters like Brady Lyle and his own impressive strides so far within the B’s organization. 

“I think sometimes as young players, we think we work hard. But when you get around people like Brad Marchand, and you rub shoulders with those guys, then you truly understand the work that goes into the craft,” Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel said, adding:  I think being around people like that has been really good for Brady. … He understands the quality of work, sometimes it's not just the quantity — and he got a lot of that from Brad. Brad Marchand has been a big influence on him, just being around him.” 

For Marchand, taking the reins and assuming more of a leadership role in Boston’s locker room wasn’t part of a self-imposed mandate — but rather just the natural progression of a player that has succeeded in the league, due in large part to the lessons learned from the star players that came before him. 

By continuing that tradition, Marchand hopes to continue the pipeline that has seen Boston incorporate players that know the rigors and expectations that come with a career in the NHL long before they’ve entrenched themselves at hockey’s highest level.

And, of course, for as much as Marchand has evolved and grown both on and off the ice, taking an active role in the development of Boston’s next group of contributors also falls in line with the intrinsic principles that has got him to this point in his career. 

After all, what better way to get the competitive juices flowing than to take stock at the same players that could be looking to knock you off your pedestal in a couple of years? 

“We want these young guys to develop and to learn it as fast as possible. And the best way is to see the older guys," Marchand said. "And also for me, I love every year seeing the kids that are coming in. 

“And at the end of the day, eventually I'm going to be pushed out by somebody and the only way I can kind of stay ahead of that is to see who's coming in and see what they're doing, where they're at. And how much harder I need to work to continue to stay ahead of them. So it's a little bit of that. "

Krejci’s return didn’t influence Hall’s decision to return to Boston

One wouldn’t necessarily fault Taylor Hall if he was a bit forlorn about how the dominoes fell shortly after inking a new four-year contract back in July.

With David Krejci now over in the Czech Republic (and stuffing the stat sheet, mind you), Hall is entering a new season with far more uncertainty on his line, and even with a strong showing from Charlie Coyle at 2C, it seems awfully unrealistic to expect the same video-game like production that a Hall-Krejci-Smith line generated last season (13-1 edge in 5v5 goals scored over 180:19 of ice time). 

But for as much as losing the offensive conductor of that line might hinder just how much firepower that Hall can generate in the O-zone, the veteran winger noted Friday that Krejci’s decision this summer had no impact on his own desire to remain in Boston. 

"I mean, honestly, it's doesn't really change my preparation or my focus for the year,” Hall said of Krejci’s departure. “My job is to come in and play as well as I can and whatever line I'm slotted in, hopefully I can drive that line, like I have in the past and whoever the centerman is — I imagine I'll play with Smitty on the right side, I think that we can work with anyone.

“In signing here, I never had a guarantee that Krejci was going to be back. I just wanted to play for this team and help this team win a Stanley Cup hopefully at the end of the day. So whatever I have to do to contribute to that is what I'll do.”