BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins named Brad Marchand captain on Wednesday, putting the “C” that had been worn by the soft-spoken and universally revered Patrice Bergeron on the sweater of a former face-licking instigator who has matured into one of the most respected voices in the Original Six franchise's locker room.

“It almost felt surreal to see the jersey,” Marchand said. “The guys you see wearing the ‘C’ are the best to ever play the game. For it to be mine, to put it on, it was a different feeling.”

The Bruins made the announcement before the opening of training camp as they try to build on the 2022-23 regular season that was the best in NHL history — and forget about what happened in the playoffs, when they were eliminated in the first round. Entering his 15th season, Marchand is the longest-tenured member of the roster and the last player who has remained with the club since its 2011 Stanley Cup title.

“He’s ours, and we’re happy we have him,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “We love what we have, and so do our fans.”

Marchand follows in a line of Bruins captains that runs from Hall of Famers Sprague Cleghorn to Dit Clapper to Milt Schmidt to Johnny Bucyk and Ray Bourque. More recently, Marchand has played under the leadership of Zdeno Chara and Bergeron, riding with them to one NHL championship and two other trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

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Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press