Any historian knows “the shot heard round the world” refers to the start of the American Revolutionary War, the opening shot in the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
Any Boston-area hockey fan also knows “the shot heard round Billerica” was fired on March 31, 2022.
The marksman, North Billerica, Mass., native Marc McLaughlin, netted his first National Hockey League goal, in his first game, for his hometown Boston Bruins. It was the stuff of Hollywood.
A sellout crowd of 17,850 roared after McLaughlin took a pass from Trent Frederic on a two-on-one break. With his right knee on the ice, McLaughlin one-timed the dish inside the right post past New Jersey Devils goaltender Jon Gillies (South Portland, Maine).
As the crowd threatened to blow the roof off TD Garden, McLaughlin, sporting an ear-to-ear grin, celebrated with teammates. A NESN camera found the McLaughlin family celebrating in the crowd like it was New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
“I saw it on the Jumbotron. I saw my mom jumping up and down. That was pretty cool to see. I’m blessed to have such a supportive family,” McLaughlin said after his dream debut.
It was one of the coolest moments of Boston’s regular season. And not one the 22-year-old McLaughlin soon will forget.
“The first goal for the Billerica kid!” thundered NESN play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards.
“And it was a beauty. What a shot!” chimed in analyst Andy Brickley.
While McLaughlin sat on the Bruins bench, basking in the deafening applause, Charlie McAvoy arrived and hugged him. Brad Marchand skated over and patted him on the helmet with his left glove. Later, captain Patrice Bergeron approached McLaughlin and tapped him on his left shoulder.
Forgive McLaughlin if he felt he was dreaming.
“You can’t be wide-eyed, for sure,” he told New England Hockey Journal. “You can’t be scared or timid. Marchand, Bergeron are always working on their craft. It was great. It was special. You dream of playing in the NHL and getting that opportunity. You never think you’re going to score in your first career game.”
He doesn’t remember every detail of how Frederic and he broke in two-on-one. But he’ll never forget the noise the fans made when he gave the Bruins a 6-1 lead in the second period.
“You don’t really know what happened,” he said. “I think I was just in a state of disbelief. Once I sat after the game, I was like, it was pretty awesome. I just remember how loud it was. It was loud.”
A lifelong Bruins fan, McLaughlin received interest from several NHL teams after he completed a terrific four-year career at Boston College. But when the Bruins called, well, the undrafted free agent pounced on the offer.
“No, it wasn’t that hard of a decision. I felt culture-wise and the style of play kind of fit my values in how I play,” he said. “Having a chance to play in your hometown is a dream come true.”
Growing up 30 miles north of Boston, learning to skate at Hallenborg Pavillion not far from his home, McLaughlin rarely missed seeing the Bruins play when he had a chance.
He wrapped up his college career March 12 with an assist, but BC was eliminated from the Hockey East playoffs by Northeastern that night.
In the game before, McLaughlin tallied the 20th and 21st goals of his senior season in leading the Eagles to an opening round 4-3 victory over New Hampshire. Playing the role of hero, McLaughlin scored with 9:04 left in overtime.
Less than three weeks later he made his NHL debut in front of more than 50 family, friends and ex-teammates.
McLaughlin saw action in 11 regular-season games with the Bruins. He added a goal against St. Louis and a tally against Ottawa. All three of his goals came in Boston.
As the Bruins prepared for the playoffs, McLaughlin was sent to Providence, Boston’s American Hockey League affiliate. His first 11 pro games all came in the NHL, an unusual occurrence. But when he got sent down, McLaughlin didn’t sulk.
“That’s kind of out of my control,” he said. “I’m just focusing on what I can control. I’m going to do absolutely everything I can to help Providence to get some wins. That’s where my mindset is.”
He just wanted to get better. He played in one regular-season game for Providence and then two playoff games as the P-Bruins were eliminated by Bridgeport.
“There’s been a lot of learning. A lot of new systems,” he said. “And a lot of coaches and a lot of players to learn from. Hockey’s hockey. There’s not that much difference in systems. That’s part of the game.”
“I feel it’s been going well. It hasn’t been too much to handle. I’m young. I’m going to work to improve my game. There’s a lot of stuff I need to work on.”
He remained in Providence after being eliminated by Bridgeport. McLaughlin became a member of the “Black Aces,” a group of extra skaters waiting in the wings should they get called upon by the Bruins in case of an injury or two. After the Bruins fell in Game 7 of the first round to Carolina, McLaughlin’s focus shifted to summer.
In particular, McLaughlin says he will spend the offseason working on his skating and trying to play more consistently, the goal of any young player.
Not surprisingly, given his maturity and work ethic, McLaughlin improved every season in college. He netted eight points as a freshman, 12 as a sophomore, 24 as a junior and 32 as a senior.
He tallied 31 goals over his final two seasons. More impressively, he became a rare two-year captain for BC and consistently was hailed for his leadership ability by coach Jerry York (Watertown, Mass.).
McLaughlin’s journey to the NHL and pro hockey began when he skated two seasons at Cushing Academy, where he compiled 65 points in 66 games. He took his talents to the United States Hockey League and Cedar Rapids, registering 36 points in 81 games over two seasons. He was named captain his second season at Cedar Rapids.
His journey has taken him to rinks throughout the East and Midwest. But nothing could prepare him for the 2021-22 season.
He captained BC for the second straight season. He played on the last team York coached at BC after the legend announced his retirement after the season. He represented the United States at the Olympics.
Then he turned pro and jumped right into Boston’s lineup, wearing the Black and Gold jersey his idols wore when he was a kid.
“So much has happened,” he said. “It’s been a hectic six weeks to two months. I’m just trying to be in the moment, to make the most of this time.”
