Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand has had an eventful and dynamic career since entering the NHL. His aggressive, passionate, and hard-nosed playing style has been a defining aspect of his professional journey. However, over time, he has learned to temper his emotions, evolving into the veteran leader he is today.
Spanning nearly 16 seasons and 1,086 games with the Bruins, the 36-year-old has earned a reputation for his antagonistic on-ice presence and competitive nature. Despite his controversial style, most teams would welcome a player like Marchand into their ranks.
Interestingly, Marchand himself has acknowledged admiration for some of the players he has clashed with over the years—except for one particular opponent. He openly admitted to having an issue with former Montreal Canadiens forward Tomáš Plekanec.
“The only guy that I ever really had a problem with was (Tomáš) Plekanec,” Marchand revealed in an interview on the “What Chaos!” podcast with DJ Bean and Pete Blackburn. “He was the only guy that every time I was on the ice with him, I wanted to take a run at him, and I had a problem with him.”
Marchand humorously pointed out that part of his frustration stemmed from Plekanec’s signature turtleneck, but he ultimately attributed their tension to the long-standing rivalry between Boston and Montreal.
“We just got into it a couple of times, and he just irked me,” Marchand admitted. “He’s just one of those guys you look at like, ‘Ah.’ Probably how everybody looks at me.
“… Montreal, we had bad blood with that team for a while. That was when they were very competitive; we were very competitive. That rivalry between our two teams… it was wild, and it was awesome.”
Bruins icon Patrice Bergeron recently reflected on Marchand’s reputation for stirring things up on the ice—something Marchand himself does not deny.
“I was on a pretty good roll there,” Marchand joked. “Getting suspended every eight months obviously added to it. Obviously, I’ve tried to tone down… I’m not perfect obviously; I make mistakes, and I will continue to.”
Marchand will soon have the opportunity to compete alongside and against familiar rivals when he represents Team Canada in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off. He is among four Bruins players selected for the tournament, joining Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman for Team USA, while Elias Lindholm will represent Sweden.
Leave a Reply