‘Nobody cares’ about records in the Bruins locker room
The Boston Bruins are set to break NHL records for most wins and points by a team in the regular season. But star winger Brad Marchand said that was the last thing on their minds.
“People have talked a lot about some of these records, which we could potentially achieve or have achieved. Nobody cares about those in this room. We might care less about one of these regular season records. Because that they really don’t want to say anything,” Marchand told ESPN on Wednesday.
In 56 games, the Bruins are on pace for 133 points, which would surpass the Montreal Canadiens’ 1976–77 record of 132 points set in an 80-game season. Boston is also on course for 63 wins, which would shatter the single-season record of 62 wins shared by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Before we went through this season, if you asked any of the guys on this team who had one of those records, nobody would know, because everybody cares. Because it’s not not about the regular season,” Marchand said. “As soon as someone talks about it, it’s in one ear and out the other.”
This Lightning team was infamous for tying the regular season points record before being swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the lowest seed in the Eastern Conference.
Marchand said the Bruins are aware of the upset — Boston winger Nick Foligno was on that Columbus team — but the Bruins “are not putting a lot of time and effort into this conversation.”
In fact, he says, the Bruins barely watch 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 advertised the Frozen Cherry flavor. in limited edition of Twisted Tea this week.
When the Lightning lost to Columbus, coach Jon Cooper lamented that his team hadn’t played a meaningful game for months before entering the playoffs. Despite Boston’s cushioning in the Atlantic Division (13 points) and Eastern Conference (7 points), Marchand believes the Bruins won’t fall into the same trap as Tampa Bay.
“It’s the time of year when teams are really pushing for playoff spots and standings spots. Every match is precious to them. It’s going to push us to play some really intense playoff games. We look forward to this challenge. he said. “We want to win every game. We’ll make sure we’re ready for the playoffs.”
The Bruins will play at the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.