By Patrick King, Sportsnet.ca
Standing in front of an open closet, Brad Marchand thumbs through his collection of jerseys trying to decide which one to wear for a game of shinny.
Among the jerseys are those of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Sidney Crosby Rimouski Océanic jersey and one of his hometown team, the Halifax Mooseheads.
Marchand makes his pick, throws on the jersey and heads over to a friend’s house in the Halifax, N.S. suburb of Hammonds Plains.
As Marchand laces up his skates in the shed located next to the backyard rink, he sees his best friends, Ryan Hillier and Andrew Bodnarchuk, doing likewise. Little did Marchand know he would one day be doing the same with his two best friends at his side in the Québec Major Junior Hockey League.
"It’s weird the situation we’ve been in," Marchand said. "We grew up watching the Mooseheads and now we all play together. It’s a crazy story."
It’s a story that started when the three were in their early teens. Although Marchand and Hillier had spent a lot of their youth playing with and against each other, the trio was formed when Bodnarchuk, originally from Drumheller, Alta., moved to Hammonds Plains at age 13.
Without knowing a soul upon his arrival, it didn’t take Bodnarchuk long to get acquainted with his future teammates in the small community. As he quickly learned, they had one similarity which helped bind their friendship: their passion for hockey.
It was this mutual passion that propelled Hillier’s father, Dave, to turn the swampy area in their backyard into a rink. Recognizing the joy skating and playing hockey brought his son Ryan, Dave Hillier went to work on a rink that has since been a staple in the community.
The backyard rink, which is 150 by 100 feet, isn’t your average family pond. The rink is surrounded by boards, lit for nighttime use and comes with a heated shed a few steps away. Inside the shed is a TV, a couch, a stove and a fridge.
As Marchand put it, "they have a sweet set-up."
It’s no surprise then that the trio used the backyard rink to help hone their skills. While practices with their teams were used to shore up fundamentals, the backyard rink provided an outlet to explore their creativity.
"That’s where you can really work on things that you need to work on," Marchand said. "When you’re on the pond, all you worry about is dangling around and trying to embarrass the other guy with your moves. You get to work on your one-on-one skills and that’s why Hillier’s unbelievable one-on-one."
A recent bout of warmer winter weather has prevented the trio from getting back to their roots on the backyard rink.
However, had it not been for a trade with the Val-d’Or Foreurs in mid-December, Marchand likely wouldn’t even have the opportunity. As a 19-year-old who is likely playing in his final season of junior hockey on a rebuilding team in Val-d’Or, Marchand was available via trade.
With a talented, veteran-laden team vying for a championship, the Mooseheads pulled off the blockbuster trade, reuniting the trio.
It was no secret where Marchand wanted to conclude his junior career and although the trade made sense for both teams, it was far from a guarantee.
"(Marchand) was nervous that his team, they were looking in their best interest, so if Halifax wasn’t giving them what they wanted, he wasn’t going to come," Hillier explained. "We weren’t 100 per cent sure he was coming to Halifax until close to the deadline."
Halifax was not only enticed by Marchand’s elite talent level but also by his reputation. Everywhere he has gone, his team has competed for a championship. Marchand was a member of the Moncton Wildcats team that won the league title in 2006. He went to the league finals with Val-d’Or last season and he has won back-to-back gold medals with Canada’s world junior team the past two years.
Marchand’s list of accomplishments also includes championships in minor hockey with his current Mooseheads teammates. The trio won two provincial championships together, one with the Tasa Mighty Ducks and another with the Dartmouth Subways. Three years ago, when they were 16, they helped lead Team Atlantic to its first medal in the under-17 tournament with a bronze.
Although he’s the smallest of the three, Marchand’s distinction among his friends is not for his gold medals or even for his league championship with Moncton.
No, Marchand’s claim to fame from his minor hockey days comes from a game in Chebucto, N.S. when the then 13-year-old achieved a first.
"Brad had the first fight I ever saw in hockey," Bodnarchuk said. "We obviously wore facemasks then so Brad was just hollowing off on the guy’s cage like a bonehead but we had a good laugh about it."
"The boys talked about it for a pretty long time," Marchand continued. "I don’t want to ruin my career by busting up a hand and not being able to play anymore so I try to stay away from that but I definitely have bragging rights for the first fight."
Bragging rights aside, Marchand, Hillier and Bodnarchuk appear to have solid National Hockey League careers in their future. Coincidentally, Marchand and Bodnarchuk could be suiting up for the same team in the NHL as both are draft picks of the Boston Bruins.
If the reunion is about to take place in the NHL, a trade will need to be made as the New York Rangers currently hold Hillier’s rights after drafting him in 2006.
Although each is pleased with their destinations, they can’t help but joke about getting back together in the NHL.
"I was sitting with Hills and I jokingly told him he was going to get traded because (the Rangers) have too many great prospects," Marchand said. "I told him to get traded over to Boston so the three of us could room together."
"Hillier makes the jokes a lot too," Bodnarchuk added. "He looks at the depth on the Rangers and he makes a joke about getting a trade but it’s always a joke and nothing more than a joke. I think we’re all happy with where we are (going)."
Since they will be splitting up for their professional careers next season, it’s clear what the goal is this season. They all realize just how special an opportunity it is to not only play together on a team in junior, but to also play for their hometown team.
"To win a championship in this league is unreal alone but to do it with two people you grew up with your whole life would be unreal too," Bodnarchuk said.
"It would be a dream come true to be able to win the Memorial Cup with two of my best buddies on the team I grew up watching in my hometown," Marchand added.
As Bodnarchuk concluded, the story of three childhood friends, playing together for their hometown team is the chance of a lifetime and an opportunity the trio is looking to take advantage.
"I don’t know if any people have gone through what we have gone through as far as being together throughout their careers," he said. "It would just complete the whole story… The chance is there and it would be a great story to tell."
