BOSTON — It’s not exactly earth-shattering, but it bears reminding for a region that’s been spoiled for some time now.
There’s no guarantee this core veteran group of Boston Bruins ever will return to the Stanley Cup Final.
And that’s not lost on Brad Marchand.
The Bruins fell 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night in the decisive Game 7, bringing Boston’s thrilling season to a bitter end.
After the game, the Bruins visibly were upset in the locker room, and Marchand was among those with welled up, red eyes. When asked about having older guys on the team who are close to the end of their careers, Marchand was candid.
“Yeah, I mean, you never know when you’ll get that chance again,” the winger said. “It could be the last one for all of us, but yeah, you know, when you’re that close and it doesn’t happen, it hurts.”
Zdeno Chara is 42 years-old, while Patrice Bergeron (33), David Krejci (32), Tuukka Rask (31) and Marchand (30) all are in their 30s now. When you consider that the 2013 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks was six years ago and the 2011 win was eight, it sets in that this could be it in terms of another title run for the fabric of the Bruins in the 2010s.
