David Pastrnak etched his name further into Boston Bruins history on Tuesday, joining an elite club of franchise legends by passing Bobby Orr on the team’s all-time points list. With an assist on Fraser Minten’s goal early in the second period of a 3-0 Bruins victory over the Detroit Red Wings, Pastrnak recorded his 889th career point with the Bruins. This tally put him ahead of Orr for sole possession of seventh place on the organization’s all-time scoring list.
This achievement is impressive for a few reasons. For one, it’s never easy to carve out a long and productive NHL career from any spot in the Entry Draft. It becomes even more difficult the further down the board a player is selected. While Pastrnak was a first-round pick, being taken 25th overall comes with no guarantee of becoming a regular NHL player, let alone a star.
Pastrnak proved early on that he was one of the biggest steals of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He currently sits second among players from that class in career points, trailing only third-overall selection Leon Draisaitl. Pastrnak is also more than 200 points ahead of Brayden Point, the 79th overall pick and another notable steal from the draft, as well as Sam Reinhart, who was selected second overall.
His sustained excellence makes the milestone stand out even more, but surpassing not just a franchise legend, but one of hockey’s biggest icons in Bobby Orr, is a feat that shouldn’t be downplayed. Orr redefined the defense position and remains one of the game’s all-time greats.
“He’s a special, special player,” head coach Marco Sturm said of Pastrnak. “The stuff he does sometimes on the ice, even today, every game, it doesn’t matter. It’s pretty amazing. Not too many guys can do that, so it was just probably a matter of time. But catching a guy like that, it’s pretty cool. And the nice part about David, he’s not done yet here in Boston, so we’re gonna talk about him for a while. He’s a treat sometimes when you see him out there and the stuff he does, it’s pretty cool to watch every day.”
Pastrnak has more than earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and peers, but it’s still fun to see even those closest to him admiring his work on a daily basis.
Pastrnak Cements Himself Among All-Time Bruins’ Greats
An impressive note about Pastrnak, and the same can be said about Orr, is that neither player ranks in the top 10 in Bruins’ games played at the time of this writing. Despite that, Pastrnak ranks fifth in goals, 10th in assists, and seventh in points. By the time this season ends, he could realistically find himself in sole possession of third place in goals, ahead of Patrice Bergeron, who sits just 17 goals ahead of the 29-year-old winger. Pastrnak could also move into ninth in assists, needing only 17 more to pass Rick Middleton. To climb further up the franchise points ladder, Pastrnak needs just nine points to pass Middleton, who finished his Bruins’ career with 898 points.
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At the end of the day, it’s impossible to tell the story of the Bruins without mentioning Pastrnak’s name. For this reason, it’s a certainty that his number will one day hang from the rafters in TD Garden, making him the first and last player ever to wear the number in a Bruins’ uniform. For now, though, hockey fans around the world get to appreciate Pastrnak and what he gives to the game on a nightly basis, something that shouldn’t change for a very long time.
