Feb 22, 2023
The Boston Bruins are on pace to challenge NHL records for most wins and points by a team in a regular season. But star winger Brad Marchand said that’s the last thing on their minds.
“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.
Through 56 games, the Bruins are on pace for 133 points, which would surpass the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens‘ record of 132 points set during an 80-game season. Boston is also on pace for 63 wins, which would break the single-season record of 62 victories shared by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.
“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,” Marchand said. “As soon as somebody brings it up, it’s in one ear and out the other.”
That Lightning team was infamous for tying the record for regular-season points record before getting swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference.
Marchand said the Bruins are aware of that upset — Boston winger Nick Foligno was a member of that Columbus team — but that the Bruins “don’t put a lot of time and effort into that conversation.”
In fact, he said, the Bruins hardly look at the standings.
“If you win the Presidents’ Trophy but you don’t win the Cup, nobody cares. That’s what we know on this team,” said Marchand, who was doing publicity for Twisted Tea’s limited edition Frozen Cherry flavor this week.
When the Lightning lost to Columbus, coach Jon Cooper lamented that his team hasn’t played any meaningful games in months before entering the postseason. Despite Boston’s cushions in the Atlantic Division standings (13 points) and the Eastern Conference (7 points), Marchand believes the Bruins won’t fall into the same trap that Tampa Bay did.
“It’s the time of year where teams are really pushing for playoff spots and spots in the standings. Each game is valuable to them. It’s going to push us to play some really intense playoff games. We’re looking forward to that challenge,” he said. “We want to win every game. We’ll make sure that we’re prepared for the playoffs.”
The Bruins will play at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.
