When Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney planned out his free agency options last summer, one player who was entering free agency with the Black and Gold was Jake DeBrusk. After being eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers, the Black and Gold, the signs were there that Game 6 was the last game that DeBrusk was playing as a member of the Black and Gold.
In the end, that was the case as the 14th overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft ended up getting a long-term deal with the Vancouver Canucks. It wasn’t surprising to see DeBrusk’s time in Boston end, but despite being a player that was hot and cold a lot of the time, he did a lot of things for the Bruins.
By all accounts, DeBrusk was liked by his teammates. He recently spoke to The Hockey News about a number of topics and one was current Bruins captain Brad Marchand. He disclosed why the agitator loves playing other arenas.
Jake DeBrusk says that Brad Marchand loves being booed
When the Bruins go on the road, Marchand is booed and booed a lot when he touches the puck. He doesn’t have many fans in Montreal or Toronto and this season, you could add Vancouver to the list of arenas that have no love loss for him. He was booed early in the game and ended up opening the scoring with a power play goal. After the goal, he held his glove to up his ear to listen to the love he was receiving. DeBrusk says that drives Marchand.
"I think even the last game that we played against him here in Vancouver," said DeBrusk. "I remember games against Montreal, Toronto, you name it; the guy's been booed about in six, seven, maybe eight different arenas. He loved it. It was one of those things where he actually wanted that. He wanted people to get on him when he'd get a penalty. It got him into the game."
It’s not surprising that the boos drive Marchand and that he thrives off of it. For as much hate as he gets around the league, you can bet that those fanbases that boo him would love to have him on their team.