Bruins' Marchand on Cusp of Historic 1,000-Point Milestone – Hockey Writers – Bruins History

The Boston Bruins are an Original Six franchise with four players in the 1,000-point club, three of whom were former captains, including Ray Bourque (1,506), Johnny Bucyk (1,436), Patrice Bergeron (1,294), and Phil Esposito (1,012). As of 2024, only Bergeron has played his entire career in black and gold, making him a stark contrast to other Hockey Hall of Famers.

However, in 2024-25, let's say current captain Brad Marchand can maintain the 1.11 points per game he has over the past eight seasons. If so, he had the opportunity to become the fifth member in Bruins history to collect 1,000 points, making them the first franchise in NHL history to have five members of the 1,000-point club with one franchise.

NHL Teams With 1,000 Point Players

Only three of the Original Six franchises have four 1,000-point players: the Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings. Interestingly, the other two teams with four members are the two 1967 Expansion teams, the Los Angeles Kings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

For perspective, despite their record 24 Stanley Cup titles, the Montreal Canadiens only have three, the New York Rangers one, and no one in Toronto Maple Leafs history has ever scored 1,000 points with a franchise. In all, 23 of the current 32 teams have a player with at least 1,000 points in their history, while 11 have just one.

Why Marchand's Milestone Will Be So Historic

With 929 points, Marchand is the closest player to the five teams with four thousand players now in the 900-point range and could be the next player to reach the milestone with one franchise. If the Bruins captain can reach that high point in 2024-2025, he will make Boston the first team in NHL history to have five players with 1,000 points in their record books.

Since his debut in 2009-10, Marchand has spent all 15 years in a Spoked B jersey, compiling 929 points in 1,029 games. He has 401 goals and 528 assists, which ranks fifth in team history in both categories. He remains the only skater with the club who was part of the team's last Stanley Cup title in 2011.

Marchand will enter the final year of his contract in 2024-25, but at just 35 years old, he's proven to have plenty of gas left in the tank with back-to-back 67-point seasons, including 29 goals and 38 points last year. . Since becoming a regular on the roster in 2010-11, he has failed to reach the 20-goal mark once, which came in the abbreviated 2012-13 campaign, when he finished with 18.

So realistically, with David Pastrnak often in his lineup and now Elias Lindholm in the fold, the captain should continue his streak of 20-goal seasons. With only 71 points to reach 1,000 points, Marchand should push to celebrate his milestone when the Bruins win in late March or early April.

Which Bruins Player Is Next in Line for 1,000 Points?

In just 10 seasons, Pastrnak has scored 348 goals, which is seventh in team history. In the 2022–23 season, he became the only regular season player to score 60 or more goals in a single season. With seven more seasons remaining on his massive 2023 extension, he is almost a lock to break Bucyk's record of 545 goals before the end of the decade.

At age 28, he compiled a career points-per-game average of 1.07. Should Pastrnak maintain that rate over the next four seasons, he will add more than 350 points to his resume and become the sixth member of the 1,000-point club with just 273 points remaining.

Considering that some periods of Bruins history stand out more than others, such as the championship teams of 1939 and 1941, the Bobby Orr era from the late 1960s to mid-1970s, and the Bourque era from the 1980s to 1990s, 21. The Bruins may have a century claim that no one else has and that's three 1,000-point players sharing the same ice for more than half a decade.

Bergeron reached 1,000 points before retiring, Marchand is on top, while Pastrnak is just up the list. For a short time, the trio known as the “Line of Perfection” dominated the Faithful Garden with a tendency to find each other with highlight reel stats or power play goals.

Today's generation, who missed out on many of the Bruins' past, will be able to look back on the late 2010s and 2020s and say they got to watch something special with these three every night. It will be fitting that all three get their names in the 1,000-point record book and have their numbers hanging together at TD Garden, with March and one of the next in line. His legacy as one of the team's best players will be cemented when he reaches his next milestone.