Yesterday, the Boston Bruins held a family skate for their team at Gillette Stadium. Bruins alternate captain Patrice Bergeron brought his newborn son Zach to the ice to enjoy the day with his family. After taking to the ice with his wife and son, he took a few moments with the media to discuss the Winter Classic. One of the questions asked was the impending fate of his linemate, Brad Marchand.
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“ has got a lot of family members here, and we’re just trying to enjoy the day,” said Bergeron as reported by Comcast New England. “Right now it’s in the hands of the player safety department, there’s not much we can really control. He’s a big part of our offence and our team. We’ll wait to see what the verdict is.”
Last night, Bergeron was hit with a three game suspension for his clip of Matt Borowiecki. So unless Marchand files a direct appeal with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman today, he will miss out on the Winter Classic.
Puck Prose
Marchand absence means another high quality player will not be participating in the Winter Classic. David Krejci is still listed as ‘week-to-week’ and is out with an upper body injury. David Pastrnak was loaned out to the Czech Republic team for the World Juniors. Montreal will be without the services of last year’s MVP winner, Carey Price. Brendan Gallagher is rated as questionable as well.
This certainly reduces the star power for both squads. Without Marchand, the most recent incarnation of the Habs-Bruins rivalry will be incomplete as P.K. Subban takes the ice. Still, the rivalry will still be there. You can’t put Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara on the ice together without some Montreal Canadiens fan rushing to the phone to call 9-1-1. Alexei Emelin will figure out someway to get in a cheap shot, and then try to run away from the bigger Bruins.
Even without so many big names, the rivalry is still there. It still has the makings of an important game for both teams. The winning team will find themselves atop the Atlantic Division as the teams head in to the second half of the season.
“The Winter Classic is always special,” said Canadiens captain (and Connectitcut native) Pacioretty. “But it’s hard to beat the combination of a New Year’s Day rivalry game and a classic Canadiens and Bruins matchup. I know that all my friends and family will either be at the game or watching on TV at home. It’s a big scene. I expect a better performance from us and a better experience in general.”