The 2019 Stanley Cup Final is not Brad Marchand's first with the Bruins. After sweeping the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, Boston will make its third trip to the league's championship series since 2011.
The Bruins ended a near-40-year championship drought by defeating the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup FInal in seven games, and then suffered a heart-breaking loss to the Blackhawks in 2013 when Chicago scored two goals in the final 90 seconds of Game 6 to snatch the Cup before Boston could force a Game 7.
Marchand was a member of both teams, and even though this his third trip to the Cup Final, he knows now not to take the opportunity for granted.
"You expect it to last a long time. You don’t realize how one change in a team can drastically affect how things play out," Marchand said. "One player change, one injury or one call, you don’t realize what it takes to get back to the (Stanley Cup) Final and how fortunate you are to get there."
Despite how successful the Bruins were in the regular season, they weren't the favorite to make it this far. The best team in the league throughout the year in Tampa Bay were swept in the first round by Columbus, and the Capitals, a team Boston can never seem to beat, fell to Carolina in the first round as well. Now the Bruins await either the Blues or Sharks, while St. Louis holds a 3-2 series lead and will try to close out the series on their home ice.
"This time around I’m definitely more appreciative of being here, but at the same time a lot more calm I guess," he said. "At the end of the day it’s just hockey and we’ve done it a million times.
Boston Bruins
"We may never be back here again, so you gotta enjoy it."
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