David Pastrnak followed Brad Marchand’s recommendation, resulting in a stunning season.
A few years ago, shortly after Pastrnak arrived in the NHL in 2014-15, Marchand told his Bruins teammate that “you always have to go for 10 goals more than you think you can do.”
Pastrnak took that advice, reaching the 60-goal mark this season. He knew the plateau of 50 was within his reach, then he had a hat trick on Sunday that allowed him to get his 60e for the first time in his career — another feat that lifted the Bruins to No. 1 in the NHL and a new record for regular season wins.
“I never really believed that I was going to go there, admitted Pastrnak, who however does not lack confidence in his means. I know what kind of player I am in this league right now, and I had come very close to achieving this achievement before the COVID-19 pandemic, so I knew I had the potential to achieve it. It helps put you in the right frame of mind. »
Three years after the pandemic forced him to settle for 48 goals, Pastrnak joined Connor McDavid in the exclusive 60-goal scoring group. It’s the first time two players have managed to reach that milestone since Mario Lemieux and Jaromis Jagr rocked the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96 — and it’s been 30 years since two players on two teams different have achieved this.
The Czech will obviously concede the Hart Trophy as NHL Most Valuable Player to McDavid, but that won’t stop him from receiving praise from across the Bruins organization. Head coach Jim Montgomery said Pastrnak achieved this feat because of a combination of confidence, creativity and competitiveness.
“He personifies those three Cs,” Montgomery said. Then you combine that with his exemplary attitude within the team; he puts the interests of the team first, and he loves it (playing for the Bruins). »
So much the better, because it’s not going anywhere. The Bruins signed him last month to an eight-year, $90 million contract that will expire after the 2031 season — the sixth-highest-grossing contract in NHL history.