Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand thinks he might have gotten off easy.
The polarizing agitator on Friday was given a two-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety for his slew-foot on New York Rangers forward Derick Brassard on Thursday.
The ban is the third of Marchand’s career in addition to a fine for another slew-footing incident, so maybe a two-game suspension is a bit light.
“They made their decision and I’m fine, I’ve got to live with that,” Marchand said Saturday after the Bruins’morning skate. “It could be worse. It could be three or four (games), so I’ve got to be happy that it’s not. Hopefully the guys do well without me and I get back against Colorado.”
Still, Marchand insists he wasn’t deliberately trying to take out Brassard’s legs.
“Going into the play, that wasn’t what I was trying to do,” Marchand told reporters, according to The Boston Globe. “I was just trying to make a hard hit and I was trying to throw him backwards, but I didn’t intend to kick his feet out. Things happen, it’s a quick game and plays in hockey are going to happen that are questionable and you’ve got to live with it.”
However, Marchand did admit the play was “on the edge” and “dangerous.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien was ready to move on from the incident and place his focus on the Bruins’ opponent Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“I think the league made its decision and I know they’re certainly trying to cut down on slew-footing so we have to respect it and move on,” Julien said at his morning news conference.
It’s possible winger Daniel Paille moves up and fills Marchand’s spot on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
