It's quite a flex to decide you're going to shatter NHL records because, essentially, you're bored.
But that only underscores how stupidly dominant the Boston Bruins have been this season.
Brad Marchand told me several weeks ago that his team didn't really care about the NHL single-season records for wins (63) and points (133). «Before this season, if you asked any of the guys on this team who owned any of those records, nobody would know, because nobody cares. Because it's not about the regular season,» Marchand said. «As soon as somebody brings it up, it's in one ear and out the other.»
On Sunday, the Bruins set a new wins record. They set a new points record on Tuesday, breaking one established by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. They had already clinched a playoff spot on March 11 and secured the Presidents' Trophy 19 days later.
Marchand admitted the Bruins started collecting NHL records like Pokémon because they had nothing else better to do before the Stanley Cup playoffs.
«We did set our sights on it for the last little while. We had locked up first. We needed something to play for in the rest of the regular season,» he said Tuesday night. «It's not our be-all or end-all. We're happy about it right now, don't get me wrong. But it's a regular-season record.»
In other words, to be the best regular-season team of all time means exactly that, and nothing more. The Bruins, to a man, have said that postseason success is the only true validation of their greatness as a team. Other Presidents' Trophy winners have sought that validation. Few have earned it.
Sports is laden with curses, from the Bambino to video game cover athletes. The Presidents' Trophy hex is demonstrable: There have been 36 trophy winners; only 11 of
athletics
Rangers
hockey
Brad Marchand