He’s been called one of the biggest pests in the game today, but Brad Marchand has done it in a way that has made him successful both with and without the puck. On Thursday, Marchand had two assists in the Florida Panthers’ 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals, reaching the 1,000-point milestone in his illustrious NHL career.
With less than two minutes remaining, Marchand scored his ninth assist of the season on an empty-net goal from Eetu Luostarinen, reaching the 1,000-point mark at home in front of friends and family.
“I was hoping it would be tonight.” he said on the milestone helper. “It was also fun to do it at home. It doesn’t matter how it’s done, it was just fun to be a part of it.”
Marchand, who was traded to the Panthers at the deadline last season, has made quite an impression on the team’s fan base. So far this season, he has 11 goals and 20 points in 16 games, playing on a team that really needs leadership and offense with Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov sidelined.
Related: John Tavares’ 12,000th game over milestone
Overall, Marchand — who was the 71st overall pick by the Boston Bruins in 2006 — has scored 435 goals and 1,000 points in 1,116 regular-season games. Additionally, he has added 66 goals and 158 points in 180 career playoff games, to go along with his two Stanley Cups.
Following Marchand’s milestone night, the 37-year-old exchanged jerseys with Capitals’ superstar Alexander Ovechkin as both players approached the final years of their respective careers.
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