SUNRISE, Fla. — 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.”
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will not play Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State because of a concussion, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Iamaleava was injured during last week’s loss to Nebraska. He began experiencing concussion symptoms after the game, according to On3, which first reported that Iamaleava would not play.
With Iamaleava out, redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan will make his first career start. Duncan has not attempted a pass in college as he tries to take down the top-ranked Buckeyes.
Iamaleava has thrown for 1,659 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his first year with the Bruins after transferring from Tennessee.
He led UCLA to three straight wins in October, including a victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, but the Bruins (3-6) have lost two straight and need to win out to become bowl eligible.
Former Penn State head coach James Franklin and Virginia Tech are in early stages of talks, with some resolution on his candidacy expected in the coming days, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Virginia Tech is still running a full search, but it’s clear there is mutual interest between the parties, per sources.
Virginia Tech fired coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14, a day after a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion dropped the Hokies to 0-3 to start the season.
Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12 after 12 seasons following three straight losses, culminating with the Nittany Lions dropping their second straight home game when they fell to Northwestern 22-21 in front of a stunned crowd at Happy Valley.
Less than a year removed from an appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals, Franklin’s program appeared to hit a new low when the Nittany Lions traveled to Los Angeles two weeks prior to that only to lose to UCLA, a team that not only was winless but hadn’t previously held a lead all season.
Earlier in the season, when the three-game losing streak began against Oregon at Happy Valley, Franklin fell to 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents, including 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference games.
Franklin’s .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams is tied for the third-worst record by a coach (minimum 25 games) at a single school since the poll era began in 1936, according to ESPN Research.
Franklin won 104 games and reached double-digit wins six times in 11 seasons at Penn State, including the previous three.
A final decision on Thomas’ availability isn’t expected until game time, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, but he is listed as doubtful on the SEC availability report.
Thomas suffered the injury while returning a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown during the Sooners’ Nov. 1 win over Tennessee.
Oklahoma’s best defensive player, Thomas has a team-leading 6.5 sacks this season along with two forced fumbles and the scoop-and-score fumble recovery.
Starting cornerback Gentry Williams is also doubtful to play against the Crimson Tide. He is set to miss a third straight game with a shoulder injury suffered Oct. 18 against South Carolina.
