Brad Marchand will become the eighth Bruin to appear in 1,000 games with the franchise when Boston takes on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, but the captain is more focused on the future than the milestone.
"Feeling very grateful to have experienced all the things that I have and to be a part of so many great teams and be part of the best organization in the world," he said Monday, according to NHL.com's Eric Russo. "The more I think about it, I do know how extremely grateful and fortunate I've been. But at the same time, I still try to not get caught up in it because I feel like I have a lot of time left, still have so many big dreams and goals.
"I still feel like a kid a lot of times, so many things that I want to accomplish with this group and this team. You don't ever want it to end."
One of those dreams is to make the Hall of Fame.
The Bruins selected Marchand in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft. He's added his name into the organization's record books through 999 games, ranking fifth all-time in goals (397) and points (910) as well as first in shorthanded goals (35). Boston won the Stanley Cup during his first full NHL season in 2010-11, and Marchand currently boasts the second-most postseason goals (53) and points (128) in franchise history.
Bruins head coach John Montgomery said he feels Marchand is worthy of a call to the Hall, and the winger is ready to put in the work.
"Is it achievable? I don't know," Marchand said. "I see the amount of time I feel like I can still play. I don't know what it takes to get there, but I'm going to play every single day and come to the rink every day and try to get better and try to play as long as I can. If it happens, it happens."
Boston will honor Marchand for reaching the 1,000-game milestone in a pregame ceremony on Feb. 19.
"It is special to look back and see how far (I've) come, but hopefully it's just a building block to many more," he said.
The Bruins' 32-11-9 record is the second-best in the league, but they will be looking to rebound from Saturday's listless 3-0 loss to the Washington Capitals when they take on the Lightning.
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