In any poll or self-styled list by a blogger rating the NHL’s dirtiest players, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins always appears prominently.
He has been suspended for cheap or dangerous hits three times in his seven-year career, but Marchand mostly traffics in annoying stuff: late pokes, gloves in the face, elbows to the ribs.
Other players just don’t like him. PK Subban of the Montreal Canadiens once jabbed Boston’s Patrice Bergeron in the head. When Bergeron asked Subban why, Subban replied, “I didn’t mean to. I thought you were Marchy.”
Last week, near the end of a lopsided loss to the Bruins, Brandon Prust of the Vancouver Canucks skated by Marchand and speared him with his stick in the groin, just because. Prust drew a game misconduct and was fined US$5,000 (Dh18,300) by the league.
Usually players express regret about intentionally dirty play. Not Prust. “Best money I ever spent,” he said, adding, “I think Marchand does that every night.”
Not exactly. Marchand’s only fine this year was for punching Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog, after the Avalanche forward had illegally checked Marchand in the head. Landeskog earned a two-game suspension.
Marchand is called “The Rat”, but he is also Boston’s leading goalscorer.
In his career, he has 18 short-handed goals, the same as Hall of Famers Bobby Hull and Doug Gilmour.
Not that it matters. Marchand seems destined to be remembered for one thing: a guy other players want to punch, check and spear, and will pay thousands of dollars for the privilege.
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