We like to put hockey players in a box. Johnny Gaudreau is small and shifty. John Scott is a goon. Brad Marchand is a pest who everybody hates. Well get ready to forget everything you know about hockey players and their narratives, because Brad Marchand will not work within the confines of the box you put him in.
No seriously, check this out:
It’s like Marchand went to one of those cruise ship shows with the hypnotist, and left thinking he was Guy Lafleur. Streaking down the wing … going coast to coast … wind whipping through his hair if he had any … fooling the defense with a slick deke before putting a backhand past the goalie. Sure, it helped that the Sabres employed a squirt level line change, but still … this is Brad Marchand we’re talking about. He did all that? Yes, he did. And it was a mildly important goal as it tied the game in the third period with the Bruins eventually winning 3-2.
Brad Marchand has had enough of your labels.
