Brad Marchand, a stalwart member of the Boston Bruins for many years, is about to enter the final season of his eight-year, $49 million contract with the team, but he has not disclosed that he has signed an extension.

During the media session on Tuesday, September 3, during the Bruins captain practice, Marchand made it obvious that he is not interested in talking about contract discussions in public.

Marchand stated, via Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com, “I won’t ever talk about contract stuff in the media. I’m going to say this now and kind of leave it at that.” “We’ll leave it at that; anything transpires will remain between [GM Don Sweeney] and our group. I believe that we can resolve it since there is sufficient respect between the two parties.”

Marchand has stated that he and the Bruins both want him to stay in Boston for the long run, despite the fact that he has been silent about his contract status.

Previously, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney stated that the franchise wants Marchand to become a retired Bruin. Marchand, for his part, would give anything to be able to play his whole career in Boston.

Marchand, though, made it clear that he isn’t yet ready to give up on the game (he is 36 and wants to play until he is “at least 40,” according to Benjamin), so he would have to part ways with the only team he has ever known if there were any problems with re-signing in Boston.

Marchand stated, via Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period, “The way that I kind of feel about that is, as long as my body is holding up and I can compete at a high level then, yes.” We’re really lucky to be able to play this game. I live my dream every day, and so do many other kids.

Marchand has 1,051 penalty minutes and 929 points (401 goals, 528 assists) from 1,029 NHL games. In addition, he made 157 appearances in playoff play, contributing 82 assists and 56 goals for a total of 138 points. 2011 saw him win the Stanley Cup.

The Gaudreau brothers made an impact both at Boston College and elsewhere.

When “Johnny Hockey” and his brother played together at Boston College for one season, there was a vigil outside Conte Forum with flowers, sticks, bags of Skittles, and bottles of purple Gatorade.

Ten years later, the loss of John and Matthew Gaudreau has been deeply felt in the hockey community in British Columbia, as their influence has remained enduring. Their effect on the school in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, as well as everything they accomplished from New Jersey to Calgary to Columbus and beyond, will not soon be forgotten. They will be laid to rest at a burial service outside of Philadelphia on Monday.

“They were both such exciting additions to our locker room, the dorms, and the academic environment at BC. Everyone knows how gifted they were on the ice, especially Johnny, who was an all-around Olympic player and college All-Star,” said former coach Jerry York. “They made a profound impression on each of us. We will miss their constant hockey adventures with us, but even more, we will miss the young guys they were.

On the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding, on August 29, John, who was 31, and Matthew, who was 29, were struck and murdered by a suspected drunk driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey. The next morning, the grief continued.

“Everyone has a pit in their stomach when we walk into the gym,” said Cutter Gauthier, who made his NHL debut with Anaheim this past spring after helping BC to the Frozen Four final. “It is clear that he left a lasting legacy at Boston College. That is just sad to witness.”

When he and the Eagles won the national championship in 2012, the oldest Gaudreau sibling was a player who scored points per game as a rookie. The Calgary Flames, who had selected him in the fourth round of the previous year as a talented but undersized prospect, made efforts that summer and the following to persuade John’s family that he was prepared for the professional game.

Jay Feaster, general manager of the Flames at the time, realized as soon as Matthew committed to British Columbia that there was no way John could travel to Calgary before the brothers had an opportunity to play together. With 36 goals, 44 assists, and 80 points in that season, Gaudreau led the nation and won the Hobey Baker Award as the finest player in the NCAA.

“He was someone that I grew up watching,” admitted Macklin Celebrini, the Boston University 2023 Hobey Baker champion and San Jose’s first-round pick in the NHL draft. “Tragedy strikes. Even though you don’t really know him that well, it still hits you hard since you never really expect anything like that to happen.

Since hearing the news, everyone associated with the program, according to BC coach Greg Brown, has been in a fog. And that goes double for BC alumni.

Kevin Stevens, an NHL player who played there in the 1980s before embarking on a pro career, stated, “You just don’t get over things like this.” “A lot of people, including myself, will be impacted by this for a very long time.”

Will Smith, a self-described “BC superfan” who grew up in Massachusetts, claimed Gaudreau was his hero. When asked about John’s significance to the school, Smith said, “Everything.”

“It’s something that will last forever, even his nickname, Johnny Hockey,” Smith remarked last week at the NHLPA rookie showcase. “He was a very unique player for that particular program.”

Playing alongside Gaudreau with the Americans in the world championships in Prague earlier this year, Smith—now with the Sharks—learned just as much off the ice as on it.

Smith stated, “He made us laugh all the time.” “One day, Ryan Leonard, Johnny, Kevin Hayes, and I went golfing as a little BC group. We simply went there and played golf one day, but it was definitely one of those days I will never forget.

Long after Gaudreau turned pro and became a household name in the NHL, BC associate coach Mike Ayers recalled an incident in which he witnessed Gaudreau stop and restart his car on campus for no apparent reason other than to use his phone to play “Pokémon GO.”

That’s who he was. That was just his method of amusement, according to Ayers. “He was just a cheerful little child.”

Ayers has spoken more about John and Matthew’s behavior outside of hockey than their performance in the game since their deaths.

According to Ayers, “Matty was a leading scorer here his senior year.” He was a major contributor for us, and it is clear that Johnny received numerous honors, but you would never know it from looking at or dealing with them. They were only decent, down-to-earth people.

The hockey was the best advertisement. “Every time he touched the puck, it was a highlight reel,” said Boston University player and Montreal prospect Lane Hutson about Gaudreau.

Occasionally when he talked as well. Rutger McGroarty of Pittsburgh, who attended Michigan, has seen Gaudreau’s Hobey Baker acceptance speech again and has heard a great deal about the man from his best buddy Adam Fantilli, who was John’s Columbus Blue Jackets teammate.

McGroarty remarked, “The things that he said about him: just not one bad thing to say about the guy.” “Just a smile on his face every day as he came in and laughed while still getting to work.”

At BC, the games continue. Before Saturday’s home football game versus Duquesne, the school held a moment of silence in memory of the Gaudreau brothers and Tony Voce, a former hockey player for BC and Philadelphia Flyer who sadly passed away this summer.

Next month marks the start of the collegiate season, as well as the NHL and other sports. The sorrow over Gaudreaus’s losses will never go away.

It’s going to be difficult, according to Stevens. That one is challenging. We will be bothered by that for a very long time.