He has been called a rat ... and far, far worse things.
But if he keeps playing at his current level for the next four or five seasons, the abrasive Brad Marchand - the guy fans in every city except for Boston hate - will have a different title when he retires.
Hall of Famer.
There were no signs Marchand was even going to be a solid NHL player early on. A third-round pick of the Bruins in 2006, Marchand was not an impact player when he made his NHL debut. In his first season with the Bruins, in 2009-10, he played in 20 games. He had no goals and one assist.
Today, the 32-year-old is one of the best left wingers, and players, in the world. He's on pace to average more than a point for the fifth straight season, a big accomplishment in today's NHL. In 786 career games, he has 309 goals and 384 assists for 693 points. There's no reason to think he can't net 307 more to reach the 1,000 milestone before he hangs his skates up.
On Thursday, during a win over the Capitals, he scored a gorgeous shorthanded goal. It was his 30th career shortie, by far the most of any current player. In fact, Marchand is tied for 22nd on the NHL's all-time list for shorthanded goals. Ten more would place him fifth all-time behind guys named Wayne Gretzky (73), Mark Messier (63), Steve Yzerman (50) and Mario Lemeiux (49). That would be pretty fair company.
Marchand still crosses the line between aggressive and dirty. He still talks trash with the best of them. But when he's not licking the faces of opponents, there are few better. Not bad for a 5-foot-9, 181-pound guy who scored one point in his first NHL season.
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