Brad Marchand is gifted when it comes to getting under the skin of his opponent. While opposing players may be on-guard when playing the known Boston Bruins pest, Marchand still seems to find a way to make their blood boil.
On Friday, it was New York Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin’s turn to deal with #63. At one point during the game, cameras caught Panarin, while standing in his team’s bench area, throwing his glove across centre ice in the direction of Marchand in the Bruins’ bench area.
Originally, Marchand played off the situation like it was a joke, explaining that the incident was caused by a Thanksgiving disagreement.
Later on, we seemed to get the truth out of Marchand.
The comment seems to be in reference to a brief hiatus Panarin was forced to take in February to deal with a situation in Russia involving abuse allegations. It is believed by many, including the New York Rangers organization, that the allegations were false and being used as an “intimidation tactic” after Panarin spoke out against Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Since Marchand revealed his comments to the media on Tuesday, they have been met with a wide spectrum of response. Some seem to believe Marchand crossed a line and downplayed a potentially dangerous situation for Panarin, while others believe it is fair game on the ice.
Marchand is currently serving a three-game suspension for slew footing Vancouver Canucks defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
(H/T Conor Ryan)
