Marchand wins the 42nd annual Seventh Player Award. (Credit S. Babineau/Getty Images)

BOSTON — The fans were asked and today they spoke.

This year, being the 42nd annual event, NESN’s Boston Bruins Seventh Player Award was handed out to rookie forward Brad Marchand. His 21-19–40 scoring totals were enough for the fans to vote him in as ‘the player whom exceeded expectations and went above and beyond the call of duty this 2010-11 NHL season.

Those 40 points, in 13 minutes 53 second of average time on ice, puts him seventh on the Bruins’ totals list, and is just one of four B’s to have 20-or-more goals this season.

In his first full NHL season, the 22-year-old Marchand is currently tied for second in the league with five shorthanded goals.

Among rookies, his 21 goals places him fifth among first-year players; his 40 points places him seventh; and is second — only behind teammate Adam McQuaid — with a plus-26 rating.

Marchand was originally drafted by the Bruins in the third round (71st overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, posted 31-60–91 scoring totals in 113 career AHL games with the Providence Bruins, along with a plus-27 rating and 118 penalty minutes. During the 2008-09 playoffs with the P-Bruins, Marchand tallied a near point-per-game with 7-8–15 totals in 16 contests.

In his 20 NHL games in Boston last year, he notched just one assist — quite the turnaround from one year to the next. Along with the trophy and a fancy Jeep, No. 63 will also be awarded $5,000 to donate to the charity of his choice.

The Bruins are 16-1-2 this season when he scores, and despite this particular blogger’s calling for Gregory Campbell, Marchand was a great selection by the fans this year…hopefully he’s as equally impressive this post season.