Ex-Boston Bruins Captain Brad Marchand Finds Himself On A Surprising List
Photo credit: Daily Faceoff
Former Bruins Captain Brad Marchand has landed on a list of the league's top-five agitators, thanks to his capability of getting under his opponent's skin with ease.
Brad Marchand is anything but a character in the NHL. While he talks a humble game in the interviews behind the scenes prior to game day, he is a person who doesn't lack self-confidence.
It shows on the ice, as he's been able to post elite numbers throughout the prime of his career.
Part of that ability comes with his "rat" like nature fans love and hate about him. Florida Panther fans are happy, now that he joins Matthew Tkachuk, as the dynamic duo of NHL rats, if we're not counting Sam Bennett.
Marchand in 2020 was voted as one of the dirtiest players in the league by his fellow NHL players.
In a 2020 poll conducted by The Athletic, 29 percent of NHL players voted Marchand as the dirtiest player in the league (From 'The 2020 NHL Poll: Players have their say on the best player, worst referee, drinking buddies and more', The Athletic - 1/20/2020).
While he has stopped licking players in the faces, he still finds ways to get under his opponent's skin.
For example, in 2022 he was given a suspension for high-sticking Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry.
After these recent antics, he's toned down his "rat" quite a bit and has matured into a Captain for the Bruins along the way.
While maintaining his top-six position in the lineup and doing his best to keep the Bruins competitive before they would trade him to the Florida Panthers.
In 2018-2019 we saw him post a career-high with 100 points, the year we saw the Bruins make a run to the Stanley Cup finals only to be vanquished by the St. Louis Blues.
He finished with 85 points in each of 2016-17 and 2017-18 and set a career-high in 2018-19, with 100 points in 79 games. Had the 2020-21 season not been 56 games due to the COVID pandemic, he would've been on pace to finish with 106 points.
Now, Marchand has a new home on an electric Panthers team and could continue to be an offensive weapon for Paul Maurice.
Will he be used in a similar manner there, as a rat and agitator?
Given how we see Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk on a nightly basis, I don't see why Maurice wouldn't use his "soft skills" like this.
Previously on Bruins Insider
| POLL | ||
MARS 23 | 1035 ANSWERS Ex-Boston Bruins Captain Brad Marchand Finds Himself On A Surprising List Do you think forward Brad Marchand, now a Florida Panther is the best agitator in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 654 | 63.2 % |
| No | 370 | 35.7 % |
| Comment below | 11 | 1.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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