The forward acquired the battle scars on Sunday compliments of Portland Pirates tough guy Cody McCormick.
"I was jawing at him all game and I guess he had enough," Marchand said with a smile. "Next thing I know, he hops off the bench and cross-checks me on the back of my head. I was asking for it, I guess."
As McCormick attacked Marchand, Vladimir Sobotka, also called up by the Bruins on Sunday night, jumped into the fracas to defend his teammate and sucker-punched McCormick, igniting a full-out brawl.
The Bruins aren't looking for Marchand and Sobotka to sustain any injuries, but they're definitely hoping they bring their trademark energy to the fray, becoming a thorn in the side of the Predators and future opponents.
Last season the Bruins took pride in being one of the hardest teams in the league to play against. They were also infamous for sticking up for teammates when needed. Through their first seven games of 2009, though, those elements of their game have been missing. Head coach Claude Julien believes that's one of the reasons his team is 3-4-0.
"Well it certainly hasn't been there where we would like it to be, and that's been an issue for us," Julien said of the team's lack of intensity and toughness. "You've seen it in a few instances where two of the three wins we have had, we've been more of the team we wanted to be. Yet we are not able to follow up with the same kind of performance on the night after. So we have got to find that consistency in our game to become that hard team to play against that we were and that we took pride in being."
Despite their small frames, Julien believes that Sobotka (5-foot-10, 183 pounds) and Marchand (5-foot-9, 183 pounds) can play that style of game and make the Bruins an annoying and difficult team to play against.
"Sure, anybody who knows Brad knows he is a real competitor. And Vladdy, too," Julien said of the two call-ups. "When Vladdy played so well for us, he was in your face and it was said he played like a 6-foot-3 player. [He was] not afraid to go into traffic and throw his weight around, so both guys have a pretty good grip, and again they are in your face. Those are the type of players we want: hard-working guys.
"I think the key there is their style of play," Julien went on to say. "They compete hard and they get rewarded with it. … So it's not about bringing somebody in that we think is going to help us score goals. It's bringing some guys in that are going to help us to be a harder team to play against. They both bring a really good work ethic and their ‘compete level' is where we like it to be."
Sobotka was recently named the AHL Player of the Week with three goals, three assists and a plus-4 rating in two games for the P-Bruins this past week. He had 10 points in six games with the team thus far, but while his offense would obviously be welcomed, Julien and the Bruins aren't asking him to be the go-to guy offensively. They simply want his high-octane game and are hoping that he and Marchand can keep their motors running.
"They told me that I just need to come up and work hard — keep it simple," Sobotka said. "I know I can score, but my job is to fit in first and help out in whatever way they need me."
Marchand was given the same advice, as well, and plans on bringing that pest-style game at the NHL level.
"I don't think I did that enough in camp and [was] maybe shying away from that, so I did it more in Providence and I plan on doing that here," Marchand said when asked if he would mix it up and display the nastiness he showed in the minors. "I'm going to keep it simple, pick my spots and try and help this team as much as I can. I just need to be myself and be confident doing it."
