Before the Boston Bruins got into the full swing of training camp, they had a piece of business to attend to.
The Bruins named Brad Marchand the 27th captain in franchise history on Wednesday, an honor that isn’t lost on the longtime winger.
Marchand revealed how he found out he was succeeding the retired Patrice Bergeron as Boston’s captain, but the Bruins also peeled back the curtain on how they told the team about Marchand’s promotion.
Bruins president Cam Neely got before the entire team Wednesday and introduced Boston’s new leadership group, first by naming David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy as assistant captains before announcing Marchand’s captaincy.
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You can watch Neely unveil the news to the team here in a behind-the-scenes video the Bruins released.
Marchand received a round of applause from his teammates and stood for a photo op with his new jersey in hand alongside Neely, general manager Don Sweeney and head coach Jim Montgomery.
After that, Marchand delivered his first words as the team’s captain to the rest of the Bruins.
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“First off, want to welcome everyone to training camp and just say it’s an honor to be part of this group,” Marchand said. “Really looking forward to sharing the room with you guys. Want to wish everyone the best of luck, but make sure that every time you come to the rink you’re competing to get better. We’re going to push each other harder than we have before because we know it’s going to pay off at the end of the day. Be ready, be prepared for that in camp and good luck to everyone.”
Marchand will look to lead a new cast of Bruins this season after an offseason full of change. The Bruins begin their preseason slate Sunday and open the regular season in three weeks on Oct. 11 when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.
Featured image via Jamie Sabau/USA TODAY Sports Images
