Was Brad Marchand the best option as Bruins new captain?
Brad Marchand is your new Bruins captain, the team announced on Wednesday. He takes over the title from Patrice Bergeron, who retired in the offseason. Zolak, Bertrand and Hardy gave their thoughts on Marchand’s latest honor after the news broke:
Boston Bruins on Twitter: "Marchy is the man. ©️ The Boston Bruins are proud to announce Brad Marchand as the club's next captain.📰: https://t.co/MZ9AnJJrhm pic.twitter.com/5hGPcsbH9O / Twitter"
Marchy is the man. ©️ The Boston Bruins are proud to announce Brad Marchand as the club's next captain.📰: https://t.co/MZ9AnJJrhm pic.twitter.com/5hGPcsbH9O
Zolak: Yeah, it makes sense. That’s the guy we had pegged, right? I think we all had him pegged. And you forget about the Centennial. Like, makes even more sense with Bergeron retiring. Just transfer it right over to him. And then it’s going to be McAvoy when he’s done. It’s a good choice.
Hardy: I think so too. I think too much was made out of the, ‘Well, it’s got to be somebody who’s going to wear it for more than two or three years.’ So why does it matter? It doesn’t matter. Really doesn’t. I think it’s going to be a different role for Marchand. I think he’s already been a type of leader in the room, but he’s going to have to be a different type now. But I doubt that he’ll change all that much. And I think it’s a good choice.
Beetle: Yeah, I was in favor of McAvoy getting the gig and not Marchand, But I honestly, I think at the end of the day, I wonder if they chose McAvoy, would it cause more headaches that they really don’t need right now? Who’s upset with Brad Marchand being the pick? Nobody. Right? It’s the least disruptive pick. It’s not bold. It’s not going out on a limb. It’s not doing it with short and long term thoughts in your mind. So. I guess that that’s what it is. It’s easy stuff. And you don’t upset the apple cart. Everyone can be fine with it. Nobody is upset with this guy being the pick.
LISTEN: Zolak & Bertrand react to Brad Marchand being named captain of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins reveal full list of 'Historic 100' players
The centennial season celebration for the Bruins is officially underway, and boy, is there going to be a lot to take in when it comes to the Bruins turning 100. We’re talking new jerseys (and fashion shows unveiling those new jerseys), and an on-site museum of sorts opening at TD Garden to look through the century-long history of the club.
One of the first tasks, however, was coming up with the ‘Historic 100’ to name the 100 most legendary players in the history of the franchise. Now, note that it’s legendary and not best. This wasn’t about picking the 100 greatest players in the organization (though that certainly played into it to a degree), but the 100 most legendary Bruins.
The #NHLBruins All-Centennial Team Selection Committee. pic.twitter.com/zYBPHIr9lj
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) July 10, 2023
Speaking personally, I was honored — shocked, even — to be picked to be part of this committee. They got the kid who used to buy $10 tickets with his Dunkin’ Donuts tip money (quick shoutout to the Burlington Mall Dunks circa 2007) deciding who’s an all-time great! Sadly for 2007 Ty, I don’t believe Glen Metropolit and Chuck Kobasew are making this list. But holy smokes, did I agonize over this. My greatest fear was missing out on an extremely obvious player.
That, based on the results shared by the Bruins after tabulating all our votes, did not happen.
And while this isn’t a ranked list, I can tell you that mine went Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk, and Patrice Bergeron. In that order, I’m like 90 percent sure. I can also tell you that I rounded out my list with Andrew Ference in the No. 100 spot, and I believe that I had Tim Thomas one spot ahead of Tuukka Rask somewhere in the 20s because I truly couldn’t decide between the two when weighing peak (Thomas) versus longevity (Rask).
These debates only got more insane as the list went down into the 40s, and by the 70s, it was pure chaos.
But our results came through Tuesday, and with the Bruins unveiling the ‘Historic 100’ in full.
Just as a note, this is not my own personal list of 100, but rather the results of all of our votes tabulated to get it down to 100. It’s also worth noting that this list is not ranked, but rather the results of the voting…