Florida Panthers’ Brad Marchand reaches 1,000 career points

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SUNRISE, Fla. – Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers became the 102nd player in NHL history to score 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone Thursday night against the Washington Capitals.

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Marchand entered the game with 998 points. The 999th goal was an assist from Seth Jones midway through the third period, and the 1,000th goal came on a goal by Eetu Luostarinen with 1:30 left.

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Following the milestone, the Panthers flooded the ice, surrounding Marchand in celebration.

“He's unstoppable,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said earlier Thursday. “I mean, I don't know how he does it. Every game he has to have that motor and work every night. I mean, it seems like everything he throws is amazing. He's such a great player and you can feel the energy he brings to us every night. He's a huge reason why we're where we are.”

Marchand scored the first 976 points of his career with the Boston Bruins. He joined Florida in a trade that shocked many, especially considering how the Bruins and Panthers have developed a playoff rivalry in recent years, late last season. The Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup, which also marked the second Cup of Marchand's career.

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Marchand was selected 71st overall in the 2006 draft by Boston. A total of 29 teams declined to select Marchand at least once that year—and ironically, Washington, the Panthers' playoff opponent, declined to select him five times that year. The Capitals had five players in the top 70 of the draft.

Marchand becomes the third player in this class to reach 1,000 points, joining Claude Giroux (taken No. 22 by Philadelphia) and Nicklas Backstrom (taken No. 4 by Washington). And no player in this draft scores more goals than Marchand's 435; Phil Kessel, who was ranked fifth by Boston that year, is second on this list with 413 goals.

This season, at 37, Marchand is the leading scorer so far on 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 in the tank, as evidenced by the fact they signed him to a six-year deal last summer.

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“I’ve always loved hockey,” Marchand said recently during an in-game interview with Scripps Sports, the team’s broadcast partner. “It was my biggest passion. And when you're at the rink, when you play this game, you just feel like a kid.”

His leadership was also valued, perhaps as much as his performance.

Panthers defenseman Donovan Sebrango—essentially a rookie, having appeared in only two NHL games before this season—told the story of how Marchand invited him to dinner during a recent trip. Since then, Sebrango has become one of Florida's most consistent players.

“I think that’s where mentorship is so important,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Donovan is going to take somebody out to dinner in 15, 20 years, right? And that's how they're going to pay for it. He's going to do something nice for a kid because it was done so well for him.”

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