During his time in the NHL, Boston Bruins forward and first-year captain Brad Marchand has been one of the more hated players in the NHL. Yes, his antics often times crossed the line, but if there is one thing you can count on, he will never mince words.
That was the case following the Bruins' 2-1 overtime Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the TD Garden Saturday night. Boston avoided becoming the first team in MLB, NBA, or NHL history to blow consecutive 3-1 series lead.
On social media, Toronto's been using the hashtag "#BeLeaf" to believe that the Maple Leafs would finally exercise their postseason demons against their Atlantic Division rivals and finally beat them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It appeared that Toronto was going to finally get over the hump against the Black and Gold when William Nylander broke a scoreless tie with 10:59 remaining in the game when he beat Jeremy Swayman for a 1-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, the Bruins responded with Hampus Lindholm scoring to tie the game 1-1 and eventually sending the game into overtime. Boston needed just 1:54 into overtime to win the game and avoid history when David Pastrnak scored the game-winning goal. Following the game, Marchand was interviewed by Sportnet and appeared to troll Toronto to add insult to the wounds of Leafs Nation.
Brad Marchand trolls Maple Leafs with just two words
Sportnet's Kyle Bukauskas interviewed Marchand on the ice after he went through the handshake line and asked him how the Bruins came out on the right side of the score in a Game 7 against Toronto. he answered "Just believe.'' However, if you listen closely, the savvy Marchand certainly appears to make it sound, "Be Leaf.''
Brad Marchand talks with @sportsnetkyle after a Game 7 victory. pic.twitter.com/gy85E7xYNs
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2024
Marchand has gotten into a back-and-forth on X (formerly Twitter), so he will NEVER admit that he even tried to make a reference to #BeLeaf", but if you listen closely, it appears that he got his subtle point across and added even more pain to Maple Leafs Nation.