Brad Marchand thanks Bruins' legend for teaching him how to interact with fans
Brad Marchand can be a very polarizing figure, but if you're a Bruins fan you understand that who he is on the ice, isn't who he is off of it. This season we've heard a lot of amazing stories about Marchand, but now we get to hear the story of how Brad Marchand got to be the way he is.
This story began a few weeks ago when Brad Marchand spotted a young fan holding a cellphone and Marchand improvised grabbing the phone and recording an awesome video for the youngster.
NHL.com was lucky enough to have an opportunity to sit down with Marchand and ask him about this awesome video.
"I was coming off the ice and we always give fist bumps to the kids coming off, at times stop to sign some stuff," said Marchand, "a kid had a phone hanging over the glass, so I took it, just joking around."
When Marchand begun to exit the ice he'd noticed the young fan was already recording video and he just went with it.
"When you're at the game, you're getting prepared to do the job," Marchand shared, "But I remember being a kid [and] the Bruins and I think it was Tampa played in Halifax and I remember hanging over the walkway and how amazing it was to see the players and have them interact.
"It's always good to do, the kids remember that and enjoy it. So, I thought it would be a great little keepsake."
But Marchand didn't always view things this way, it was actually Hall of Famer and Bruins' Legend Ray Bourque who pulled Marchand aside when he was just 19 years old and offered him advice.
"I'll never forget what he said to me -- I've come back to it a lot," Marchand said, "It's very easy...to forget where you're at, forget how fortunate we are, how lucky we are to be in the position we're in to be living our dreams and living other people's dreams. You kind of take it for granted at times."
"He said every kid that wants an autograph, every kid that approaches you or wants to talk to you, just remember to enjoy it, don't take it for granted. Enjoy those moments because when you retire, nobody cares anymore. Nobody cares about what you've done or who you are. You're not relevant, essentially, it's always the new players that are in the League, the superstars that are in the League at that point that they care about. People forget pretty quick."
"I think it just keeps you grounded, keeps you humble, and makes you understand how fortunate, again, that we are," Marchand shared. "That's coming from one of the best players to have ever played the game. When he's talking like that, it hits home. So I thought that was good advice to learn at a young age."
It's amazing to think that someone as incredible as Marchand was taught the ropes by a Bruins' Legend, while also knowing Marchand is likely taking those same lessons and repurposing them for the Bruins of tomorrow.
Source: NHL
