BOSTON - When the Boston Bruins lost captain Zdeno Chara and alternate captain Patrice Bergeron to month-long injuries in mid-November, they needed someone new to wear an "A."

And in a decision that surprised some observers, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy slapped the letter on forward Brad Marchand’s sweater. Yes, the same Marchand who's been suspended and fined by the NHL on numerous occasions, and who'd recently shown up officials by mocking Nashville Predators forward Colton Sissons for embellishing a high-sticking penalty, earning an additional 12 minutes in the box.

"I picked (Marchand) to show that he's a leader, and maybe that'll help him with the refs a little bit if they see that," Cassidy told theScore.

Things didn't start well. After receiving a questionable slashing penalty against the Dallas Stars during his first game wearing the "A," Marchand earned an additional 10-minute misconduct for "waving the white flag" with a towel on his stick - not exactly the behavior expected from those in leadership positions.

"There's times when things go right or things go wrong. I think that things just happen, and I was ending up in the box," Marchand told theScore. "I was definitely retaliating for some things and maybe I wasn’t happy enough with my game or how things were going."

Indeed, Marchand went into a slump when Bergeron was injured, scoring just once in the first 11 games without his linemate. But then - more importantly - he also began to stay calm.

In fact, Marchand hasn't been whistled for a major infraction or misconduct since the Dallas game, and he's spent just two minutes in the penalty box over his last 13 appearances.

"I feel a lot more in tune with my control, my emotions, and stuff like that," Marchand said of his newfound discipline. "Out on the ice, I don’t feel like I’m getting as heated as I was early in the season."

It's a key development for Marchand, who's one of the NHL's most productive players - he entered the All-Star break with 19 goals and 53 points - but who's also served six suspensions and paid three fines since breaking into the league (not to mention his involvement in many more confrontations, including the infamous licking incidents from last year's playoffs, which drew a warning from director of hockey operations Colin Campbell).

"(Staying calm) can easily change in a split second but I wasn't doing a very good job of being disciplined for the group or the team early on," Marchand continued. "So I definitely had to be better at that. I feel that I have been the last little bit. I can’t be in the box every game."

The Bruins certainly hope those split seconds will take place less and less as the 30-year-old Marchand matures. And there's optimism that he can make it happen given his burning desire to succeed, which has already carried him further than most expected.

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Considering all the notoriety Marchand's gained since becoming an NHL regular eight years ago, it’s hard to believe he once flew under the radar.

Nova Scotia-based performance coach J.P. MacCallum was there during the forward's humble beginnings - long before the 30-goal seasons, the 2011 Stanley Cup championship, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey gold medal, and the much-publicized run-ins with NHL disciplinarians.

"It's certainly been a wild ride with Brad," MacCallum told theScore.

"It’s been 17 years now, 17 offseasons that we’ve worked together. So starting with when he was a 13-year-old, at the Bantam level in Nova Scotia. He always had the competitive spirit. … You saw the competitive factor, he was a good player, but there was nobody that would've said at the time that he was going to play in the NHL.”

As an undersized player coming up just before the NHL's evolution into a smaller man's game, Marchand wasn't an obvious target for scouts. Still, he committed to proving himself and saw that hard work pay off as a second-round selection in the 2004 QMJHL Draft, and then as a third-round pick (71st overall) by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL Draft. His junior career was highlighted by an 80-point season with Val-d'Or in 2006-07 and two selections to Team Canada's world junior rosters, leading to a pair of gold medals.

"And still the doubters were always there," MacCallum recalled. "The guy that never doubted was Brad. 'I’m going to make it, I'm going to make it, I’m going to do it.' He competes hard for everything and he hasn't stopped. That's what got him on the Bruins and what keeps him there and made him an elite player in the world.”

While following in the footsteps of smaller players like Theo Fleury and Martin St. Louis, Marchand - now listed at 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds - has worked to cancel out his size disadvantage by improving his elusiveness. And to do so, Marchand and MacCallum designed workouts that largely target the forward's legs.

“I think in hockey if you look at a lot of the guys, their body makeup, a lot of them have very big lower bodies,” Marchand said. “That’s a focus nowadays. Before I think a lot of guys worried about their strength and getting big and strong, but the game, the way it is now, it’s all speed and endurance and skill, so you know it’s pretty much all legs.”

Scouts and coaches alike marvel at Marchand’s ability to win battles in tight areas and to pull up on rushes to make plays. The drills he does and the videos he watches - often of other players around league - help him improve and conjure up new moves every summer. In 2015-16, he cracked 30 goals for the first time and finished with 37. That earned him a spot on Team Canada for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, but Marchand wasn’t satisfied with just being named to the elite team.

“If it was possible, his focus sharpened even more (heading into the World Cup)," MacCallum said. "I think he really got a taste of, 'Now I can do it.' Not that he ever doubted himself, but he knew he needed a little bit more focus in the offseason - a little bit more work on his on-ice focus in the offseason could take him to that next level. And when you’ve already got a guy that’s ultra-competitive and finds a way to dial it in even more, you see incredible results.”

Amid a star-laden Team Canada roster at the World Cup, Marchand wound up playing on a top line with Bergeron and Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby. He helped lead the team to gold while recording seven points in 10 games.

Marchand's positive momentum continued in the NHL, as he scored 39 goals for Boston the following season and another 34 in 2017-18. This year, he's on pace to surpass 30 yet again.

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There are other sides to Marchand beyond the dynamic two-way player and the noted super-pest. There's the Marchand who paid for a family to attend the 2016 NHL All-Star weekend, which is the same Marchand who once rescheduled a summer training session with MacCallum to work with a young, aspiring player instead.

"He shows this 12-year-old kid, 'Wow, this is what it takes, this guy’s doing it,'" MacCallum said. "And (the kid is) completely baffled that an NHLer is his training partner for the day. But (it was) an incredible experience that kid will never forget."

These days, Marchand's also a family man, as he got married in 2015 and gained a stepson in the process. Now with a young daughter as well, his new responsibilities off the ice are contributing to his maturity as a player.

“It’s no coincidence, you’re committed to a partner at the same time you’re committed to a family. ... I think (it) only increased his focus," MacCallum said.

For their part, the Bruins previously showed faith in Marchand's development by inking him to an eight-year, $49-million contract extension in September 2016 - 10 months before he could’ve become an unrestricted free agent. The deal all but assured Marchand would be a big part of the team for years to come, and it came with the hope that his maturity would catch up to his skill set.

It appears he's now taking that step by accepting a bigger leadership role with the Bruins. It earned him the "A" during Bergeron's absence, and the leadership ability was evident when Marchand took the lead in personally addressing 21-year-old defenseman Charlie McAvoy's tardiness issues this season.

To Marchand's teammates, this side of his persona was always present, but it was often hidden beneath his public image.

"He’s certainly the clown still, but he sometimes wears a different hat while he’s in the clown suit," David Backes, another one of Boston's alternate captains, told theScore.

"He’s a guy that on the ice, he’s got some antics, but they're good-intentioned to help our team win or try to distract the opponent. And when you’re outside the circle and you’re looking at it, especially if you’re not a Boston fan, he's annoying and he’s a pest and you throw darts at his picture on a dartboard perhaps.

“But when you’re in the room, those guys tend to be the best teammates and he’s not an exception there. He cares about his teammates, he’ll do anything for you, and he’s a 'win at all cost' kind of guy, and you love those kind of guys.”

Of course, you don’t reach the heights Marchand's reached without exhausting all means to get there. And it's an approach that will probably push him over the line again, regardless of how hard he tries to stay out of trouble. On the other hand, Cassidy's decision to hand over an "A" - even a temporary one - showed that Marchand's leadership skills and discipline are trending in the ideal direction.

"It’s going to be a process and I’m not going to sit here and say that I’m not going to make mistakes, because I’m not going to promise the world and not deliver,” Marchand added. "So, it's a fine line that I got to watch and work on, and hopefully things can play themselves out the right way.”

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AMHERST, Mass. - Throughout his hockey career, Massachusetts goaltender Matt Murray has had the two-word phrase "Family First" scrawled across the back of his mask.

This year, the 20-year-old St. Albert, Alberta native added something even more meaningful - the names of five friends he lost in last April's Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy.

The accident, which killed 16 people and severely injured 13 others, devastated the Broncos’ program and the Humboldt community. The anguish of that horrific occurrence, however, resonated beyond Humboldt and reached across the continent, and the hockey world.

Murray was among those who were hit with the pain of the incident. He has since dedicated his career to honoring the memory of the Humboldt victims through his work ethic, his play, and his mask.

"There’s not a second that goes by when I put it on where I’m not humbled at what I’m doing and just being able to carry on their legacy in the game and make them all proud and honor them in the best way that I know how," Murray told theScore.

And while the decision to carry the names of his late friends every time he takes the ice is significant enough, Murray has found another way to honor them - by putting together one of the greatest goaltending seasons in the history of UMass' storied hockey program.

Humboldt ties

Coming up through the ranks in hockey, players develop relationships with many teammates. For Murray, it just so happened that five players he knew well were among those who didn’t survive the Humboldt accident.

Murray grew up a five-minute walk from Stephen Wack. They played minor hockey together until Murray left for Spruce Grove.

"Growing up in the same town, you get to know everybody, especially in a small town," Murray said. "We had similar interests, both being into water sports and we had similar friend groups and we hung out all the time. And he was a great, great videographer ... he had a whole YouTube channel about it.

"But the biggest thing with Stephen, he was the most ... I’m at a loss for words saying what amazing person he was, how genuine, how happy. No matter what was going on he was always somebody that you know would do the right thing and there’s no words to sum him up."

Murray was a teammate of Conner Lukan in 2014-15; the two helped lead the Spruce Grove Saints to the Alberta Junior Hockey League title.

"When you have success with a person and you grow to that level ... there is nothing held back and you know every person on your team, inside and out, and I think that’s when you’re going to find your deepest connections," Murray said about his bond with Lukan.

Logan Hunter and Jaxon Joseph were fellow St. Albert natives.

"Logan went to the same school as me, he was a grade under because he’s a year younger," Murray said. "And then I knew him through some mutual friends. And then Jaxon, he went to school with Stephen and his dad (Chris) played a huge role in St. Albert minor hockey, and I’ve played with him in the summer on teams and stuff like that."

Murray connected to Parker Tobin as part of the universal goaltender fraternity. They crossed paths during their minor hockey careers.

"Parker I knew fairly closely from when he played in Spruce Grove in midget when I was there for junior hockey. And I saw him rising into the AJ as well," Murray said.

Murray was devastated when he got the call about the accident. He was granted permission to go home, go to the memorial services, and have the necessary time to grieve with his family.

"When I went home after it happened, just being with them, being with my family was what was needed," Murray said. "They’ve always been there for me no matter what, through thick and thin and always will continue to be. And my family is the strongest part of my life for sure."

Murray’s parents Darryl and Jeanett, and younger sister Madison formed Murray’s support team, as they always have.

"When the tragedy occurred he contacted me and my wife that night, we spoke many times that evening and obviously he was extremely shook up with the loss of some close buddies that he’s played with and worked out with over the years," Darryl Murray recalled.

"He really thought that he needed to come home to be with family and be with some people to try and ... and be around others that would be grieving at the same time."

Upon his return to campus, Murray found support from his teammates, with whom he opened up about what he was going through. He turned to his Catholic faith to help him move forward.

When the school year ended, Murray returned home. He thought about a way to memorialize not just the friends he lost, but everyone whose lives changed that night on the Broncos bus. He’d had Jesse Acciacca of Jesse’s Custom Design in Wilmington, Mass., paint his mask the year prior.

Murray tasked Acciacca with making sure all the Humboldt victims would be with him for the 2018-19 season.

The Mask

Murray had one direction for Acciacca.

"I gave him all the artistic freedom in the world. I said, 'Do whatever you have to do, just make sure these names are on there,'" Murray recalled.

Acciacca had plenty of experience incorporating names into masks. In 2017, he integrated 470 names into then-St. Louis Blues netminder Carter Hutton's Hockey Fights Cancer mask. So Acciacca knew just how to approach Murray’s request.

"I didn’t want to just limit it to one little area of the mask because I’ve seen a few other painters, other goalies ... so I kind of represented it throughout the mask and without overpowering the design," Acciacca said. "I used pearlescent paint, and when you hit the right light you can see it. So it didn’t overpower it too much but it was there."

The back plate, where it has always said "Family First" on Murray’s masks, also became home to the names of the aforementioned five victims. Those names are done in regular paint and can’t be missed when you watch Murray from behind.

After Acciacca received his orders, he sent Murray a rendering. Even though he had an idea of what it was going to look like, Murray was still overwhelmed when he opened the box over the summer.

"Honestly, I just didn’t know what to say," Murray said. "It was a lot of emotion. Ecstatic with the beauty and then just like a lot of it really hit me too at the same time. And it was very humbling and it was a whirlwind of emotions at that point."

Murray wasn’t the only one overcome when the mask arrived.

"It broke me down to tears when I first saw it," Darryl said.

It was one thing to have the mask made and wear it. It took something else to attract more attention to it - and Murray's historic start has done just that.

Sophomore sensation

As a freshman with UMass last season, Murray set the single-season school record for shutouts with four and was named the Hockey East Player of the Week once and the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on another occasion.

The UMass coaching staff made a commitment to challenge its goalies to get out of their comfort zones this season. In Murray’s case, that meant not always trying to use perfect technique to stop the puck.

"We challenged him at the beginning of the year to battle and to compete and challenge shooters to help out with his rebound control and everything like that, and it’s really coming in strides," said UMass assistant coach Jared DeMichiel, who played goal at Rochester Institute of Technology.

"He’s fighting to see pucks and then when there’s rebounds he’s fighting more from there. And it’s not like he’s out of sorts, like he still has good control from his game. ... He’s made some unorthodox saves that we need him to make but he’s also made those routine saves as well too."

Maturity and experience have allowed Murray to be more aggressive.

"It comes with being more comfortable and knowing to what to expect in the league versus last year as a freshman," Murray said of his play to date. "And I think knowing what to expect and knowing what’s coming has allowed me to elevate my game and to push the limits a little bit more."

Whatever Murray has done is working better than anyone could have imagined. He enters the winter break with an 11-0-0 record to go along with a 1.90 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. UMass is 14-2-0 (7-0-0 in the Hockey East Conference) and is ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Knowing what Murray’s gone through and seeing him wearing the mask with all the names, DeMichiel is convinced there are people looking down on the goalie and maybe "pushing him a little more."

Murray agrees. Although he tries to avoid getting emotional when he pulls that mask down over his head on game night, there’s always inspiration in front of him when he picks it up to put it on.

Murray hasn't been drafted, but this season he’s played his way into the conversation among scouts and management types as a professional goaltender prospect. That’s been his dream "since I think I could dream," he said without hesitation.

St. Albert has produced many greats, including Mark Messier and Jarome Iginla, and if Murray can take advantage of a pro opportunity the way he’s thrived in junior and college hockey, he could very well join their ranks.

And as he pursues his ultimate dream, Murray will always have the victims of the Humboldt accident in his heart - and almost certainly on his mask.

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