Brad Marchand has been one of the most well-known players in the NHL since he entered the league in the 2009–2010 season. Not just for being a really good hockey player, but for his aggressive, sometimes over-the-top style of play. Marchand has become known for being a rat on the ice—something even his own mom can attest to, from the moment he was born.
Brad Marchand is a future Hall of Famer. During his 17 years in the NHL, he has played 1,100 games, recorded 980 points, and racked up 1,115 penalty minutes along with winning two Stanley Cups. The numbers really speak for themselves. He’s a great offensive player, but also a pest to play against.
Understood what he needed to do
Standing 5’9” and weighing 176 lbs, Brad Marchand understood early on that he had to bring a certain aggressiveness to his game in order to compete with much bigger teammates and opponents. Writing for The Players’ Tribune in 2018, Marchand recalls what it was like playing as a kid:
“I’ll never forget, when we were 12 years old our coach gave this speech in the locker room before a game, and he said, ‘There’s thousands of kids like you in Canada. There’s thousands more all over the world. You know what the statistics say? The statistics say that only 0.01% of you will make it to the NHL.’
I don’t even remember what the point of his speech was. I just always remembered that stat, and I would think to myself, ‘Man, if I’m not even the best kid on my pee-wee team… there’s no chance. How could I ever get noticed?’”
Brad Marchand’s mom sums up his son
But the aggressive aspect of his play came naturally for Marchand, who had a tendency to mess with others. His own mother, Lynn Marchand, can attest to that. In fact, she summed her son up with just one perfect word the moment he was born:
“My mom likes to say that I came out of the womb ‘mischievous.’ I just liked the feeling of messing with other kids. I liked getting under their skin and making them react,” Marchand writes.
And Lynn was right. Brad Marchand has been getting under his opponents’ skin for 17 years and counting. But he also has a couple of Cups to his name to back it up.
READ MORE: Brad Marchand’s mom’s wholesome reaction to Game 2 OT goal
