Kalman: World Cup Selection Another Sign Marchand's Pest Days Should Be In Past
By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- If starring for Canada during a run to the gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championship earlier this month was a final exam, then getting named to Team Canada for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey was like graduation for Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
Marchand got the news from Hockey Canada on Friday, when the final seven players were added to the roster for the September tournament.
After finishing sixth in the NHL with a career-best 37 goals in 2015-16, Marchand got the World Championship call from Hockey Canada after the Bruins fell one point shy of qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs. He didn't hesitate because he wasn't ready for his season to be done so early for a second straight year and he'd always wanted to represent Canada on the international stage again. Marchand hadn't played for Canada since the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2007 and 2008.
Accepting the Canada invitation also allowed Marchand to make a statement to Hockey Canada that he should be considered for the World Cup roster.
"Ultimately at the end of the day I would've done anything to be on [the World Cup team], so if going to Russia and doing my best, whether I was going to make that team or not, I wanted that opportunity," Marchand said during a conference call. "So I'm definitely happy I went."
Hockey Canada clearly already admired Marchand's skill because it invited him to Russia. He rewarded their faith with four goals and three assists in 10 games after overcoming a lower-body injury early in the tournament. Marchand was instrumental in Canada reaching the championship game and then defeating Finland 2-0 for the gold in Moscow.
Almost as important as Marchand's production, though, was his avoidance of controversy. Marchand's NHL career has been marked as much by suspensions and questionable trash talk as it has been highlighted by historical performances in the 2011 Stanley Cup finals and outstanding two-way play over six seasons.
Each year he's toned down the clown show and focused more on hockey. Although he wound up on the wrong side of the law near midseason and was suspended for the Winter Classic because of his low-bridge hit on Ottawa's Patrick Wiercioch, Marchand's 2015-16 season was mostly spent scoring goals, killing penalties and performing like the Bruins' second-best all-around forward other than linemate Patrice Bergeron.
Playing on the larger ice with less intensity, less hitting and less nastiness with a the Team Canada sweater on had to reinforce in Marchand the notion that he doesn't have to be a "rat" to succeed at the sport's highest level anymore. That will benefit the Bruins, especially once they sign him to a long-term contract extension and keep him from testing free agency in 2017. Marchand, along with Bergeron, can continue to be a foundational player, albeit one they won't have to worry about embarrassing them with unnecessary extracurricular activities or one that sits out a couple of suspensions a season.
What the numbers didn't already tell everyone about Marchand he proved with his actions in Russia. Once over there, he considered the idea that he was going to have to change some people's minds about what type of player and person he is. He figures he got the job done.
"I think that it is a possibility. I think being part of a team like this people may give a little bit more respect to that fact and maybe look more at the kind of player I am other than the stuff they've seen in the past, with the hits and being a pest and stuff like that," he said. "So maybe people realize I am an OK hockey player and I do play the game as well."
Not too long ago Marchand needed to move his mouth and rub up against the discipline line to get his game going and be most effective. That need has been reduced every season since he starred for the Cup champs in 2011. There's no reason why he can't continue to talk trash here and there. After all, the majority of players do have something to say.
However, his game has always been about staying on the right side of the line. Nowadays he shouldn't be anywhere near that line. Low-bridge hits, knee-on-knee hits and rabbit punches to the face should be out of Marchand's repertoire. His focus should be solely on being a mainstay for the Bruins at both ends of the rink, a sniper around the opposing net and maybe even a veteran leader that can pass advice on to the Bruins' upcoming wave of youth.
If he wasn't already, Marchand should be enlightened by his performance on the international stage and his opportunity to do it again for Canada in the fall. If he continues to devote more energy to hockey instead of other on-ice antics, there's no telling how much more his game will improve. Playing against the world's best in the World Cup will make Marchand a better player, but it should also send him a message that his pest days are over. And that will give the Bruins' attempt to return to relevance a huge boost.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.