Panthers’ Brad Marchand reaches 1,000 career points, 102nd NHL player to hit that milestone

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand remembers a conversation he had with the Boston Bruins early in his days as a pro, and how some scouts there told him that getting to 400 games would signify having a pretty good career.

He’s done far better than that.

Marchand became the 102nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points, reaching that milestone on Thursday night with a pair of assists in the Florida Panthers’ 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals.

“It’s something I’m definitely proud of,” Marchand said. “And I hope there’s many more.”

Marchand came into the game with 998 points. Point No. 999 was an assist on a goal by Seth Jones midway through the third period, and the 1,000th came on an empty-netter by Eetu Luostarinen with 1:30 left.

The Panthers swarmed the ice after the milestone, surrounding Marchand in celebration.

“It was awesome. It was special,” Jones said. “You know, we’re a tight group in here, and he’s had an amazing career so far — and it feels like he’s got a lot left in the tank the way he’s playing for us this year, so that was pretty cool.”

Marchand got the first 976 points of his career with the Boston Bruins. He joined Florida in a trade that shocked many — especially given how the Bruins and Panthers had developed a playoff rivalry in recent years — late last season. The Panthers went on to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup, which was the second Cup of Marchand’s career as well.

“He’s unstoppable,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said earlier Thursday. “I mean, I don’t know how he does it. Every game, he’s to have that kind of motor and be going every night. I mean, it seems like everything he shoots, it’s amazing. He’s such a great player and you can the energy he brings every night to us. He’s a huge reason why we are where we are.”

Marchand was the 71st pick in the 2006 draft, taken by Boston. A total of 29 teams all passed on drafting Marchand at least once that year — and in a bit of irony, Washington, the Panthers’ opponent for the milestone game, passed on drafting him five times that year. The Capitals had five picks in the top 70 of that draft.

Marchand becomes the third player from that class to reach 1,000 points, joining Claude Giroux (taken by Philadelphia at No. 22) and Nicklas Backstrom (taken by Washington at No. 4). And no player in that draft class has more goals than Marchand’s 435; Phil Kessel, who was taken at No. 5 by Boston that year, is second on that list with 413 goals.

“He’s been so prolific over his career,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “And it’s good for him to kind of have an experience at home. I think that’s really nice that he gets to have the fans appreciate it, celebrate it with him. It’s great.”

The Panthers will further commemorate it at a pregame ceremony that has yet to be scheduled.

This season, at 37, Marchand has been the leading scorer so far for a Florida team that is playing without captain Aleksander Barkov and star forward Matthew Tkachuk, among others. But the Panthers clearly believe Marchand still has plenty left to contribute, as evidenced by them giving him a six-year contract this past summer.

“I’ve always loved hockey,” Marchand said recently during an in-game interview with Scripps Sports, the team’s broadcast partner. “It’s been my biggest passion. And when you’re at the rink, when you play this game, you just feel like a kid.”

His leadership has been valued as well — maybe as much as the scoring.

Panthers defenseman Donovan Sebrango — basically a rookie, since he appeared in only two NHL games before this season — told a story of how Marchand took him out for dinner on a recent road trip. Sebrango has been one of Florida’s most consistent players since.

“I believe that’s where the mentorship is so important,” Maurice said. “Donovan’s going to take somebody out for dinner 15, 20 years from now, right? And that’s how it gets paid forward. He’ll do something nice for a kid because it was done so well for him.”

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