Brad Marchand Not Bothered By NHL All-Star Snub
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was named to the 2022 NHL All-Star Atlantic Division team on Thursday night, and defenseman Charlie McAvoy is part of the Last Man In vote. But there is one huge All-Star snub on the Bruins roster.
That would be Brad Marchand, who is somehow not part of the All-Star mix this year. He isn't even eligible for the Last Man In vote, which is pretty wild considering the season that Marchand is having for Boston.
Marchand leads the Bruins with 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points, which he's racked up in just 29 games. That point total is tied for the seventh-most in the NHL this season.
Making the snub even more puzzling is the fact that Marchand is on an absolute tear at the moment, with seven goals over his last three games. One would think that the NHL would want one of its hottest players taking part in the All-Star festivities on Feb. 5, but that is apparently not the case. He isn't even an option in the Last Man In vote, so his only chance of making the squad is if someone else from the Atlantic Division bows out of the exhibition.
In addition to being a talented goal-scorer, Marchand is among the best at turning snubs and criticism into motivation. This All-Star snub should provide plenty of that for the rest of the season for the Boston winger.
But if it has ruffled his feathers a bit, Marchand isn't letting it show. On Friday, he said the snub doesn't bother him at all, and used it as an opportunity to praise Bergeron.
"He's been our best player for whatever it's been, 18 years now. He's the best two-way player in the league," Marchand said of his teammate. "He's the backbone to our team."
This marks Bergeron's third NHL All-Star appearance after being selected for back-to-back games in 2015 and 2016. The Bruins captain has 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points, and is a plus-seven over 33 games this season. He also leads the NHL in faceoff win percentage at 63.8 percent (min. 50 faceoffs).
McAvoy is looking to make his first All-Star team via the Last Man In vote, which will determine the final four All-Stars. One player from each team is part of a 31-player pool, and fans can select one player from each division to join their respective All-Star rosters.
The 2022 NHL All-Star Last Man In voting is now open at NHL.com/Vote and runs through Jan. 17. The four winners will be announced on Jan. 18.
