The Bruins winger was suspended Monday for five games for his low hit on Vancouver defenseman Sami Salo in Saturday's game.
"I'm obviously a little disappointed," Marchand said after the Bruins' morning skate on Tuesday. "I wasn't expecting as many games as I got, but that's the decision and now we just have to move on."
Marchand's teammates were also surprised by the length of the ban.
"A little bit," forward Daniel Paille said. "I think we expected a suspension just given the game and that it was Marshy and he's a repeat offender. But that's the max you can get on a phone [hearing], so I was surprised about that. [NHL vice president of player safety Brendan] Shanahan gave his view and we have to accept it. I am a little surprised at the length of it, though."
Paille can relate to Marchand's situation, having served a four-game suspension of his own last year for a blindside hit against Dallas. Paille knows the next couple weeks won't be easy for Marchand, but expects his teammate to learn from the experience and come back as effective as ever.
"When you know you can play and you're forced to sit out, mentally it takes a toll on you," Paille said. "I guess the one thing you have to take from it is a little bit of a break. You're resting and if you have any injuries at that point you can take your time to get back. It's unfortunate he has to sit out that many games, but he's a workhorse, so I think he's going to be even better when he comes back."
Marchand has vowed he won't change his game because of this suspension.
"No, I'm still going to play hard," Marchand said. "That's my game. I have to play hard. I still have to protect myself. So does everyone in the league. So it's not going to change the way I play."
The Bruins don't want him subjected to further discipline, but they also know that Marchand does have to play on the edge to be effective.
"We know that his playing on the edge is what makes him a good player," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "We've got to work with him, not against him, and we've got to help him make sure his game is fine-tuned to the point where those things happen less and less. You don't want to be a repeat offender, but at the same time the way things are going now I think everyone will be a repeat offender."
The organization also didn't agree with Marchand's punishment for this offense. General manager Peter Chiarelli issued a statement Monday night detailing the club's disagreement with Shanahan's decision, and Marchand echoed those sentiments on Tuesday.
Specifically, Marchand was frustrated that he had spoken with Shanahan previously about that very type of hit and been assured that it was permitted.
"I'm a small guy; I play low to the ice and that's a way that I've protected myself in the past," Marchand said. "I felt it was better to be safe than sorry. I brought it up to him and when I walked away from the conversation he told me that if I was protecting myself that's OK in that situation. When that situation [with Salo] arose, I felt I was protecting myself and was allowed to do it. And that's why I did it."
Marchand also disputed Shanahan's contention in his decision that the hit Marchand delivered was a clip, as Marchand felt the video showed that the point of contact with Salo was above the knees.
"We brought it up. Clipping, I believe what it says [in the rulebook], is when you hit the guy around the knee," Marchand said. "We felt that it was very clear in the video that I got him right under the buttocks. It seems very clear in the video that that was the case, but maybe he viewed it differently. At the end of the day, he makes the call."
Marchand and the Bruins also brought up past examples of similar hits that drew no supplemental discipline, including a low hit Vancouver's Mason Raymond delivered on Marchand in last year's Cup Final.
"That came up in the hearing, but [Shanahan] said something like, 'Every situation is different and you can't really base any new hit on something that happened last year,'" Marchand said.
Yet the league now wants players to be on notice that Marchand's hit will serve as the basis for punishments going forward, though the league's track record of inconsistency in dispensing discipline certainly creates doubt that Shanahan will actually follow through on that.
"I expect if there's any more hits like this they'll be penalized the same way," Marchand said. "Otherwise, it will be a double standard.
"I guess it's clear I'm not allowed to do that and guys in the league aren't allowed to do that," Marchand added. "I think they tried to make that clear and I'm going to have to do something else next time."
Julien just hopes that the message really is clear and justice will be consistent in future cases.
"I think that's what we have to do here, is bring some clarity," Julien said. "That's not to say what they are doing with the league and those disciplinary actions aren't trying to do that. I think we have to try to make it a little clear and that's what they're trying to do.
"This is a game that's played on the edge," Julien added. "For every team and every player, it's played on the edge and it's hard to balance those kinds of decisions from the NHL point of view and the players' point of view where they cross the line. The one thing you don't want to do is create some uncertainty in players' minds. It's got to be clear, and that's what we're all trying to work toward — making some clarity. But will it ever happen? I don't know. This is a fast game and there are a lot of things that are instinctive. All I know is everyone that's involved in this sport is trying to do it for the right reasons."
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