Marchand: 2016 World Cup made me 'a different caliber of player'

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand attributes his arrival as an NHL superstar to the confidence he gained from skating alongside some of the most talented players with Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

"Obviously I think winning a (Stanley) Cup will always be the top thing, but one of the things I'm most proud of is being part of the World Cup team with Canada," Marchand said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "It kind of put me on a different level, a different caliber of player."

Marchand played alongside Sidney Crosby and Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron on the top line throughout the tournament. The trio combined for 25 points over six games en route to leading Canada to the championship. The pesky winger contributed five goals and eight points, including the tournament-clinching tally in the final minute against Team Europe.

"Before that, I never really thought I could play with guys that were on that team," Marchand said. "I never put myself in the same category as anybody on that team. Coming out of that, I felt a lot more confident about my abilities and my game and where I could play in the league, and it just kind of elevated from there."

That NHL season, Marchand erupted for a career-best 39 goals and 85 points with Boston. In 2018-19, he became the first Bruins player since 2002-03 to record a 100-point season and finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting.

Since the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign, Marchand ranks fifth in both assists (220) and points (357) and sits 10th in goals (137) among all NHL skaters.

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