Boston Bruins Adam McQuaid has picked up his game in more ways than one. The often-injured blueliner has had a strong second half of the season.
NHL fans have learned something about Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid. You don’t want to get in a fight with him….ever. The 30-year old PEI-native has been dominant in every fight (four) he’s been in this season (save for the one where the referee was literally holding his arms down).
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McQuaid came in on Toronto rookie phenom Auston Matthews during the second period. The B’s were down 4-2 at that point. Matthews seemed to go low to avoid any serious damage. McQuaid’s clean hit further crumpled the young Leaf, and that caused Leafs enforcer Matt Martin to home in on McQuaid.
There’s an old saying about having your mouth writing checks that your body can’t cash, and it seems to apply to Martin here.
Martin is a veteran fighter in his own right, but seems to suffer more and more abuse as this extended bout went on. The B’s ended up falling to the Leafs 6-5.
“Not really thinking, things happen really quick – not really much time to think about stuff like that,” said McQuaid according to the Boston Bruins website. “I think I finished my hit on Matthews there down in the corner. I was skating back up the ice and he jumped on.”
McQuaid has earned respect for being a serious fighter. He’s willing to go for any reason. He’s carrying on the tradition of protecting your teammate. Andrew Ference and Shawn Thornton would be proud.
Still, the Bruins will need a little more from the veteran blueliner. The B’s defensive troubles are starting to assert themselves again. The B’s are hanging on to a playoff position, but just barely. The Leafs are just one point behind with a handful of games in hand.
McQuaid is currently even on the plus/minus rating. He’s put in a single goal and four total points this season. For the most part, he’s found success working with Torey Krug. He’s become the reliable defender when Krug jumps in on the play as the extra attacker.
McQuaid isn’t sure what’s going wrong in Boston but he wants to be part of the solution to their problems.
“I wish I had an answer for you,” Adam McQuaid said of the Bruins defensive issues. “We made mistakes and they capitalized on them. We knew coming in that they were capable of doing that.
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“I don’t have an answer as to why, but it’s not like we weren’t aware that they were going to try to capitalize on mistakes and turnovers and they have the skill set to do so.”
McQuaid is having a solid season overall. Hopefully, he and the other Bruins will be able to salvage a playoff position at the end of the season.