Was Brad Marchand Punished By The Hockey Gods?
Apr 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) looks for the puck in overtime against the Detroit Red Wings in game four of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena. Boston won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
I think it’s safe to say that the Hockey Gods were a little displeased with Bruins winger Brad Marchand. On two separate occasions last night, the Bruins were given the opportunity to give themselves a goal, courtesy of a wide open net. In both cases, Marchand lined up his shots and fired them wide of the crease. The groans were loud and clear tonight, and people had to wonder if this was karma from the ’embellishment’ from Marchand’s fall to the ice following a knee-on-knee hit by Red Wings defenseman Brendan Smith.
Bruins President Cam Neely didn’t feel like it was embellishment. Before game four, Neely was on local radio to discuss what went down with Marchand fall. When asked if Neely thought he was faking, he was clear in his response. “I know he was hurt after that.”, offered the Bruins legend. “Anytime you get a knee on knee hit you never really know unless you’re the person it happens to. I know sometimes it’s a reactionary thing from the player that initiates the knee-on-knee and it’s not necessarily intentional.”
He did take Marchand’s past into consideration as he continued, but was clear on his support for the Bruins favorite pest. “If this wasn’t Brad Marchand this would be a non-discussion. It comes with the territory for Brad and it doesn’t really bother him. He knows what he needs to do to be successful in this league and he does it well.”
That lack of puck luck did frustrate Marchand in game four. “I definitely wanted to bury it hard, the second one. The first one I kind of flicked it and missed. I really wanted to bury that second one. Maybe my shot’s too hard and I’ve got to take a little off.” When the game went into overtime, Marchand knew that an important game could slip through their fingers. Thankfully for the Bruins and the fans, Dougie Hamilton and Jarome Iginla got the puck through Jonas Gustavsson to give the Black and Gold a 3-2 overtime win.
“If we would’ve lost I would’ve had a tough night of sleep,” said Marchand post game. “We won and that’s all that matters. It’s obviously frustrating missing chances like that, we could’ve finished the game a lot earlier but you just have to stick with it and take the positives out of it. I’m still getting some opportunities so I just got to bear down a little better and bury the next one.”
He’s bound to see plenty of those opportunities when the Bruins take on the Red Wings in game five of the series in Boston. The puck is expected to drop at 3:05pm on Saturday. We’ll see if the Hockey Gods have forgiven him by then.