Marchand attributes his recent NHL success to confidence he gained at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand attributes his arrival as an NHL superstar to the confidence he gained playing alongside some of Team Canada's best at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

"Obviously, I think winning a (Stanley) Cup will always be the top thing, but one of the things I'm most proud of is being part of the World Cup team with Canada," Marchand said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "It kind of put me on a different level, a different caliber of player."

Marchand played on Canada's top line with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and his Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron throughout the tournament. The three combined for 25 points in six games en route to helping Canada capture the championship. Marchand himself scored eight points (5 goals, 3 assists), including the tournament clinching goal in the final minute against Team Europe.

"Before that, I never really thought I could play with guys that were on that team," Marchand said. "I never put myself in the same category as anybody on that team. Coming out of that, I felt a lot more confident about my abilities and my game and where I could play in the league, and it just kind of elevated from there.

That NHL season, Marchand posted a career-high 85 points (39 goals, 46 assists) with the Bruins. In 2018-19, he elevated his game even further and erupted with a 100-point (36 goals, 64 assists) performance and finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting.

Marchand currently ranks fifth in both assists (220) and points (357) and 10th among all NHL skaters in goals (137) since the beginning of the 2016-17 season.

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