The Boston Bruins remain an absolute juggernaut, on pace to break the National Hockey League record of wins set by the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning (62) along with breaking the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens’ record of 132 points. Earlier this season, they also set the new League record for most home victories to start a season on home ice.
But as the Bruins players themselves know, none of that will mean anything if they aren't the last team standing this June in the Stanley Cup Final. Just ask forward Brad Marchand, who lifted the Cup in his rookie season and has also helped the Bruins to two more championship round appearances, both of which they came up short in.
“People have talked a lot about some of these records, that we could potentially hit or we have hit. Nobody cares about those in this room. We could care less about any of these regular-season records. Because they really don’t mean anything,” Marchand told ESPN on Wednesday.
“Before we were going through this season, if you asked any of the guys on this team who owned any of those records, nobody would know, because nobody cares. Because it’s not about the regular season. As soon as somebody brings it up, it’s in one ear and out the other.”
Marchand, who is known for telling it like it is, attested to the fact that winning the President's Trophy as the top regular season team doesn't guarantee postseason success. The last two best regular season squads to achieve the ultimate glory of winning the Stanley Cup were the 2002 Red Wings and the 2013 Blackhawks, the latter of whom defeated the Bruins in the 2013 Cup Final.
“If you win the Presidents’ Trophy but you don’t win the Cup, nobody cares. That’s what we know on this team,” he said.
The Bruins are out west tonight, taking on the Seattle Kraken.
