Panthers' Brad Marchand reaches
1,000 career points, 102nd NHL player to hit that milestone
[November 14, 2025]
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand remembers a conversation
he had with the Boston Bruins early in his days as a pro, and how
some scouts there told him that getting to 400 games would signify
having a pretty good career.
He's done far better than that.
Marchand became the 102nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000
career points, reaching that milestone on Thursday night with a pair
of assists in the Florida Panthers' 6-3 win over the Washington
Capitals.
“It's something I'm definitely proud of,” Marchand said. “And I hope
there's many more.”
Marchand came into the game with 998 points. Point No. 999 was an
assist on a goal by Seth Jones midway through the third period, and
the 1,000th came on an empty-netter by Eetu Luostarinen with 1:30
left.
The Panthers swarmed the ice after the milestone, surrounding
Marchand in celebration.
“It was awesome. It was special,” Jones said. “You know, we’re a
tight group in here, and he’s had an amazing career so far — and it
feels like he’s got a lot left in the tank the way he’s playing for
us this year, so that was pretty cool.”
Marchand got the first 976 points of his career with the Boston
Bruins. He joined Florida in a trade that shocked many — especially
given how the Bruins and Panthers had developed a playoff rivalry in
recent years — late last season. The Panthers went on to win their
second consecutive Stanley Cup, which was the second Cup of
Marchand’s career as well.
“He’s unstoppable,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said earlier
Thursday. “I mean, I don’t know how he does it. Every game, he’s to
have that kind of motor and be going every night. I mean, it seems
like everything he shoots, it's amazing. He's such a great player
and you can the energy he brings every night to us. He's a huge
reason why we are where we are.”
Marchand was the 71st pick in the 2006 draft, taken by Boston. A
total of 29 teams all passed on drafting Marchand at least once that
year — and in a bit of irony, Washington, the Panthers’ opponent for
the milestone game, passed on drafting him five times that year. The
Capitals had five picks in the top 70 of that draft.
Marchand becomes the third player from that class to reach 1,000
points, joining Claude Giroux (taken by Philadelphia at No. 22) and
Nicklas Backstrom (taken by Washington at No. 4). And no player in
that draft class has more goals than Marchand’s 435; Phil Kessel,
who was taken at No. 5 by Boston that year, is second on that list
with 413 goals.
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Florida Panthers players celebrate left wing Brad Marchand (63)
after he reached his 1,000 career points during the third period of
an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Thursday, Nov.
13, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
“He’s been so prolific over his career,” Panthers
coach Paul Maurice said. “And it’s good for him to kind of have an
experience at home. I think that’s really nice that he gets to have
the fans appreciate it, celebrate it with him. It’s great.”
The Panthers will further commemorate it at a pregame ceremony that
has yet to be scheduled.
This season, at 37, Marchand has been the leading scorer so far for
a Florida team that is playing without captain Aleksander Barkov and
star forward Matthew Tkachuk, among others. But the Panthers clearly
believe Marchand still has plenty left to contribute, as evidenced
by them giving him a six-year contract this past summer.
“I've always loved hockey,” Marchand said recently during an in-game
interview with Scripps Sports, the team's broadcast partner. “It’s
been my biggest passion. And when you’re at the rink, when you play
this game, you just feel like a kid.”
His leadership has been valued as well — maybe as much as the
scoring.
Panthers defenseman Donovan Sebrango — basically a rookie, since he
appeared in only two NHL games before this season — told a story of
how Marchand took him out for dinner on a recent road trip. Sebrango
has been one of Florida's most consistent players since.
“I believe that’s where the mentorship is so important,” Maurice
said. “Donovan’s going to take somebody out for dinner 15, 20 years
from now, right? And that’s how it gets paid forward. He’ll do
something nice for a kid because it was done so well for him.”
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