Playing Career
Marchand grew up playing minor hockey in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area, including AAA midget with the Dartmouth Subways before being a 2nd round pick in the 2004 QMJHL Midget Draft. He played four seasons in the QMJHL between the Moncton Wildcats, Val-d'Or Foreurs and Halifax Mooseheads. During his junior career, he was selected 71st overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins.
Marchand made his NHL debut on October 21, 2009, against the Nashville Predators. He scored his first NHL goal against Jhonas Enroth of the Buffalo Sabres on November 3, 2010.
Marchand established himself as a two-way player for the Bruins during the 2010–11 season, his first full year in the NHL. Marchand scored 21 goals, including five short handed (ranked third in the league), and 41 points. He also had a +25 plus-minus rating. On April 2, 2011, prior to the Bruins' final home game of the season, against the Atlanta Thrashers, Marchand was awarded the Bruins "7th Player Award" as voted by the club's fans through the regional New England Sports Network (NESN). The award goes to the Bruins player fans believe most performed beyond expectations. During the 2011 playoffs, Marchand scored 19 points over 25 games, helping the Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship. His 11 goals tied Jeremy Roenick for the second most by a rookie in the NHL. His total included two goals in the seventh and deciding game of the Finals against the Vancouver Canucks.
During the off-season, the Bruins re-signed Marchand to a two-year contract, announced on September 14, 2011. During the ensuing season, on December 23, 2011, Marchand scored his first career NHL hat trick, in an 8-0 home rink win against the Florida Panthers. He also added two assists for a five-point effort. The following month, on January 9, 2012, Marchand was suspended for five games after a clipping hit on Canucks defenseman Sami Salo. The game was the teams' first meeting since the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan characterized the hit as "predatory" in his video release.
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