Frustrations boiled over for Brad Marchand on Friday, as he wasn’t happy about how he was taken from Friday’s 3-2 overtime win against the New York Rangers, because of concussion protocol.
Specifically, the Bruins seemed unhappy with the process.
Marchand absolutely looked shaken up (to me at least) after walking into Jacob Trouba’s elbow:
Brad Marchand seems a bit dazed after skating into Jacob Trouba. pic.twitter.com/i1ig4Kpx7H
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) November 29, 2019
It seems clear that Marchand and Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy were upset about the process, not just the decision to put the winger through the protocol.
Basically, the collision happened late in the second period, yet Marchand went through the protocol during the third, with both player and coach claiming that they weren’t informed that he’d be pulled from the game during the entire second intermission.
Here’s the Marchand quote that eventually prompted the apology, via NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty:
“That’s embarrassing. They had 20 minutes to sit there and view the tape and call that in. But they make me come out in a 2-1 game when we’re just starting to get some momentum. Guy up there is busy eating pizza and cheeseburgers and can’t watch the game,” Marchand said. “Maybe next time he’ll pull his head out of his butt and watch the game. I skated into his elbow, but [I was] fine.”
Honestly, pizza and cheeseburgers? It sounds like that hypothetical concussion spotter was living their best life.
All delicious junk food comments aside, Marchand likely knows that he probably went a little too far, so he tweeted out an apology later on Friday night:
For all the licking antics, Marchand is wise to try to mend fences with officials where he might leave bridges burning with opponents.
Considering Marchand’s tendency to stir the pot, he might not have much luck rising above the level of “neutral” in the eyes of most officials, but that apology aims to maintain some level of benefit of the doubt. It’s also the right call, in general, because of the brashness of his barbs.
And, frankly, it’s all fairly entertaining, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Marchand only really “learns” to be more careful when he’s picking his targets.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.