Brad Marchand has been known to be a pest on the ice, but those around the league wouldn’t mind having the Bruins forward on their team.
The NHL Players Association released its annual results to a player-driven poll and for the second straight season, Marchand was named as the player opponents least enjoy playing against but would love to have as a teammate.
Marchand received 36.5% of the votes from 626 NHL players polled.
“For the second straight year, the players would much prefer to see Brad Marchand sporting their colors, rather than having to face the Bruins forward who often finds his way into the middle of the action,” the NHLPA results said.
It’s easy to see why players feel that way about Marchand, especially after Tuesday’s game when he completed a slick pass to Jake DeBrusk who finished off the highlight-reel, game-winning goal in the Bruins 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
But the results were put together well before Tuesday’s game, in which Marchand was averaging a point-per-game with 61 in as many contests. He’s fast, knows how to find an open player and knows how to score goals to help his team win.
Marchand also knows a thing or two about getting under opponents’ skin.
The Bruins were without Marchand to begin the season after undergoing double-hip surgery in the offseason, but he’s been an important player and top-line staple since returning to the lineup, even if he doesn’t feel his game is quite where it should be.
We’ll see if Marchand can go for the three-peat next year, and if he continues to play the way he does, it’s probably his to lose.
