The Two Sides of Brad Marchand
When it comes to Brad Marchand, there are very few neutral opinions of the Boston Bruins forward. They either love the ‘Little Ball of Hate’, or they openly despise him.
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There are often two Brad Marchands that take the ice on any given night. Some nights you get the dedicated team player that leads the team in goals (22), a player that plays solid hockey on the wing of Patrice Bergeron. A player that knows how to take his technical game to the highest level. He can also bring an Olympic level ‘pestyness’ that can infuriate opposing players.
The other Brad Marchand is the kind of player that takes unnecessary chances, plays mediocre defense, and causes his team to take unnecessary penalties. Unfortunately, that Marchand showed up tonight.
GIF: Brad Marchand sticks a Wings player in the nuts pic.twitter.com/8qjyY3KuS2
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 3, 2015
Brad Marchand decided to give a cup check to Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson. The Bruins had tied the game a minute earlier, and were surging heavily against a Detroit team that had the initiative for most of the first two periods.
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This could have been the penalty that crippled the Bruins season. The B’s had already given up a power play goal earlier in the game, and a second one would have stolen the life out of the Black and Gold. Thankfully, the Bruins penalty kill played two solid minutes of defensive hockey to keep the momentum on their side.
If you’ve ever seen me at the TD Garden, I’m usually wearing my signed ‘BALLOFHATE’ jersey. I’m a total fan of the ‘first’ Brad Marchand. I love the way he plays, I love how he can play solid, three-zone, two-way hockey. I love how he can get under people’s skin and throw them off his game. He knows how to play, and he knows what it takes to win.
As much as I love watching Marchand play, I often cringe when he crosses the line and causes a blatant and unneeded penalty for the Black and Gold. He certainly knows that the defensive lines are the worst they’ve been since his rookie year. He knows better, and it doesn’t help his team, it doesn’t help their playoff chances, and it most certainly doesn’t help the negative side of his reputation.
Please do us a favor Marchy. Leave ‘that’ pest at home during the post-season. We need your production on the ice, not you sitting in the penalty box.