As a kid from the Greater Boston area, Chris Wagner has been following Brad Marchand for a long time.
He’s seen him from the lens of a spectator, an opponent and a teammate, so it’s suffice to say he is familiar with his fellow Boston Bruins right winger in a variety of ways.
“(My view of him has evolved) probably similar to a lot of people. In college, watching them win the Cup, I thought he was a rat,” Wagner quipped after Wednesday’s practice.
“And then — I mean, he was really good in the Cup run, obviously, but then he kind of settled down in the middle stages,” Wagner continued. “Still did some things that he got punished for, but now he’s really cleaned up his game and become one of the best players in the league.
“It’s nice to watch him every day in practice. The stuff he tries, how hard he competes and I think that’s the most important part of him. He competes every shift, tries to win every single battle, plays great in the D-zone too. So it’s nice to see him develop his game as he’s gotten older.”
Indeed, Marchand has become one of the most well-rounded forwards in the game, receiving votes for the Hart and Selke trophies in each of the last four seasons.
So even if he was known for being a bit of a pest earlier in his career, he’s undoubtedly regarded league-wide as one of the game’s premier talents.
