Leo Komarov and the Toronto Maple Leafs ultimately got the last laugh Monday night against the Boston Bruins, but it wasn’t for lack of effort — on and off the ice — from B’s forward Brad Marchand.
The Hart Trophy hopeful made a sensational play to set up the Bruins’ first goal, keeping pace with the NHL league leaders in points. Marchand also assumed his usual duties as pest for much of what was a physical game, including a mixup or two with Toronto forward Leo Komarov.
Marchand and Komarov extended their trash talk to the bench during the third period, and TSN cameras and microphones caught their yapping, as Marchand taunted Komarov by telling him he’d present him with a souvenir after the game.
We’ll go ahead and say Marchand didn’t actually “send a stick over” after the game, although given the way he has played this season, that would be a pretty good piece of memorabilia to acquire.
Komarov shared a little insight into the conversation after the game.
“Yeah, I mean he’s a great player,” Komarov told reporters, per MapleLeafsHotStove.com. “He’s dangerous out there, so it’s tough to play against him. He loves to talk and I love to talk. We were made for each other.”
Asked what was said between the two, Komarov downplayed the situation and had only nice things to say about Marchand.
“It was just like, how’s his day going. It was nothing brutal. It’s a hockey game,” Komarov said. “He’s a great guy.”
Given Marchand’s generous offer, it’s hard to argue.
