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There’s a famous story about Brad Marchand’s exit meetings in Boston after his rookie season.
Throughout Marchand’s draft process and early in his pro hockey career, he was often reminded of what he couldn’t achieve. NHL teams believed he was too small (a 5-foot-9 forward was especially undersized as he was breaking in). Scouts said Marchand’s skating wasn’t good enough. NHL evaluators believed discipline was an issue. He was told his skill set probably didn’t have a high ceiling.
Marchand, a third-round pick in 2006, got called up to the NHL for a 20-game stint in 2010. “After the year I met with Peter Chiarelli, then the GM, and he said, ‘Look, you got a taste of it, you got to play some games, be around the playoffs, see what the NHL is like,'” Marchand recalls. “He said, ‘Next year, if you can come in and be a good energy player, play on the fourth line, maybe get 10 goals, I think that would be a great year for you.'”
Marchand, who was 21 at the time, didn’t like that outlook. The winger’s response: “I think I could get 20 goals in this league.”
“[Chiarelli] kind of looked at me and laughed,” Marchand said. “I hadn’t scored a goal in the league at that point. I had one assist in 20 games. I hadn’t done much. I think it took him by surprise.”
There’s one thing you should know about Brad Marchand: Set limitations, and it fuels him with determination. He’s often bucking other people’s expectations for him.
Just look at the latest example: He defied doctors and returned more than a month ahead of schedule following double hip surgery, scoring two goals and adding an assist in his first game back this past Thursday.
MARCHAND SCORED 21 GOALS…
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Source : espn
