Brad Marchand solidifies his legacy as a member of the Bruins

Brad Marchand made history when he took the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. The forward became the eighth player in franchise history to skate in 1,000 games, joining other Bruins greats Zdeno Chara, Wayne Cashman, David Krejci, Don Sweeney, Patrice Bergeron, Johnny Bucyk and Ray Bourque.

“It’s special,” Marchand told reporters when asked about the milestone. “I look at it in so many different ways. When you look back as a kid coming up and just trying to make the league, it’s hard to imagine playing 1,000 games, especially for one team. You look at the players, the guys I grew up watching who played 1,000 games – I was even looking the other day at guys who I would have expected to play 1,000 games that didn’t due to injuries or whatever. It’s pretty incredible.”

Marchand was selected by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 draft but didn’t make his NHL debut until October 2009. It was initially thought that he would become an effective bottom-six player, but over his 14-year career with the B’s, Marchand has established himself as one of the best left-wingers in the sport.

He showed his full potential during his first complete season with the B’s in 2010-11. He passed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career and helped the Bruins win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

Fast forward to his 14th season with Boston, Marchand has continued his offensive success. He went into his milestone game with 25 goals, 48 points and 23 assists and has played in every contest (52). He added another two assists in Boston’s 3-2 loss on Tuesday night. On Jan. 24, he reached another milestone by setting a club record of 11 straight seasons with 20 or more goals. He ranks fifth in Bruins history with 397 goals and eighth in assists with 513.

In the NHL, Marchand ranks fourth in goals scored (397), first in short-handed goals (35), eighth in points (910) and is tied for first in overtime goals (19) since the 2010-11 season.

Marchand without a doubt has solidified his place among other Bruins legends, and with no signs of slowing down, it is looking like a plaque in Toronto is not far behind.