Bench clears in celebration for Marchand’s 1,000th point

The Florida Panthers poured onto the ice on Thursday, not to celebrate the team's win, but instead to celebrate Brad Marchand's 1,000th career point.

Marchand hit the milestone with an assist on Eetu Luostarinen’s empty-net goal with 1:30 left in the third period of the 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals at Amerant Bank Arena. After the celebration on the ice, the festivities continued long after the final buzzer.

“It’s so cold!” Marchand said after he was showered by his teammates in the locker room. “Thank you boys.”

The two-time Stanley Cup champion is the 102nd player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points and is the 12th active player at that mark.

He recorded 976 points during his 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins and 24 points with the Panthers.

“I never could’ve imagined being part of two incredible franchises,” Marchand told Panthers reporter Katie Engleson after the game. “The milestones come from being part of great teams and playing with great players. … I’m very very proud.”

He has 14 points in his last nine games (eight goals, six assists), including two assists in Thursday’s win.

To add to the celebrations, Marchand met up with Capitals forward and the NHL’s all-time leading scorer Alex Ovechkin (a fellow 1,000-point scorer, of course) after the game to exchange signed jerseys.

“It was nice to do it at home, too,” Marchand said of the milestone. “It doesn’t matter how it gets done, it was just fun to be a part of it. ... You don’t get to be a part of things like that very often.”

The 37-year-old has 435 goals and 565 assists in 1,116 career games.