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Brad Marchand: ‘Extremely proud and honored’ on being named Bruins Captain

Griffin Crest / NHL / September 20, 2023

Brad Marchand: ‘Extremely proud and honored’ on being named Bruins Captain

After longtime captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement in July, the Boston Bruins captaincy became blank. In doing so, this raised questions about who would be the next captain. The only right answer, Brad Marchand. After being named the 27th captain in franchise history Wednesday, Marchand couldn’t be more proud.

THAT&#39;S RIGHT ?

Brad Marchand&#39;s the new captain of the @NHLBruins! pic.twitter.com/pmZxBWVLBU
&mdash; NHL (@NHL) September 20, 2023

Marchand has been in the Bruins organization for 14 years and counting. Winning one Stanley Cup and being named an All-Star four times, Marchand may not be the most likable character in hockey, but he is certainly a leader for the franchise.

Playing 947 games for the franchise, it wouldn’t be right for anyone else to be named the new captain of the Bruins.

“I am extremely proud of Brad and the hockey player he has become,” Charlie Jacobs, Boston Bruins CEO, said in a statement Wednesday. “Brad has been a Bruin for over 15 years and had the opportunity to learn from great leaders in Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. He is ready for this opportunity and our whole team will learn from his competitive nature and tenacity. I am confident he will represent our organization with heart and grit.”

Bruce Cassidy explains why Brad Marchand should be Bruins’ new Captain

The 35-year-old revealed his emotions and the backstory of how the news was delivered to him.

“Monty told me we were going to dinner, and I was kind of hoping that was the conversation I was hoping to have with them,” Marchand told reporters, according to NESN. “But you never know, maybe they were trying to let me down easy. So I was trying not to get my hopes up. We sat down at dinner and I’m anxiously waiting. We’re making small talk and stories from the past, and I’m a little quiet because I want to know what’s happening. What are we doing here? Cam spoke up, brought it up and let me know. And then Sweens and Monty both talked after that.“

“I was extremely proud and honored, a little relieved. We have a lot of guys it could go to who were deserving. I did want it and was hoping to have the opportunity. When you look at the guys who have played in this organization, what they’ve done, the legacy they built — I take pride in what I do and wanted to be part of that group and help build something special with this team.”