Bruins Shower Brad Marchand With Praise Following Milestone

BOSTON -- Brad Marchand reached a milestone achieved by only seven other players in Boston Bruins history -- playing in 1,000 games while donning the Spoked-B.

The Bruins captain achieved the goal Tuesday night when Boston hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden. The Black and Gold fell 3-2 in a shootout, but it wasn't lost on his teammates how special the game was for Marchand.

"Huge milestone for (Marchand)," Bruins forward David Pastrnak said. "Really wanted to get the (win) for him to make it even more memorable. It's amazing for him. ... Well deserved and I'm happy for him."

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James van Riemsdyk, who signed with the Bruins as a free agent in the offseason, is thrilled to be playing alongside Marchand instead of against him this season.

"Definitely had some battles with him over the years," van Riemsdyk said. "He's a good man and a great teammate and great captain. Definitely happy I get to share the ice with him in a moment like this."

van Riemsdyk said he has watched Marchand from afar during his career, and one thing he admires is the work ethic the Bruins captain has.

"How much he works at his craft, how serious he takes it. He's very diligent with his preparation, whether that's doing things off the ice or working on his skills on the ice," van Riemsdyk said. "It's no accident why he's been as successful as he’s been in his career. And obviously you see him climb and pass some pretty impressive names in the Bruins record books. That's pretty cool to see and see behind the curtain for some of that. ... It's nice to be on the same team as him. He's definitely a fierce competitor and happy to share the ice on the same side."

The Bruins honored Marchand with a first-period montage highlighting some of the most memorable moments throughout his 15-year career in Boston.

"That was amazing. Bring you some goosebumps seeing him in 1,000 games in one jersey and a special organization like the Bruins," Pastrnak said. "It’s definitely amazing. Brings us smiles and so happy for his accomplishment."

Charlie McAvoy said he missed the montage but plans to look it up on social media, but acknowledged how important the milestone is.

"He's had an unbelievable career here as a Bruin," McAvoy said. "I couldn't be happier for him and what he achieved tonight."

Before the game, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said the team discussed honoring their captain with their play on the ice.

"We talked before the game about honoring him with effort and emotion in our game tonight because no one has more effort and emotion and loves being a Bruin more than Brad Marchand," Montgomery said.

McAvoy said the team responded.

"Who he is as a person and as a leader of our group, it speaks for itself," McAvoy said. "We didn’t need any extra added motivation tonight. ... You could feel how special it was and just what he means to us. We wanted to win tonight. It's unfortunate we only got one point, but I thought we had an effort that we could be proud of."

Marchand joined the elite group of Wayne Cashman, Johnny Bucyk, Ray Bourque, Don Sweeney, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.