Bruins Marchand Gets Message After Benching
BOSTON (CBS) – After taking a bad roughing penalty that led to the New Jersey Devils taking a 1-0 lead Tuesday night, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand found himself on the bench.
He played just two shifts after the penalty in the second period, and even found himself on the third line.
"I took a bad penalty there and they scored on it. It's a learning process when things like that happen. You're going to pay for it sometimes, and I had to pay by sitting on the bench," Marchand said after Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Devils.
"I didn't have to say anything. I think we're kind of at the stage where we've been together long enough, he knows what I wasn't happy with and why he sat," said head coach Claude Julien. "But at the same time, he's a good player for us, and he certainly deserves a chance to get back into it, and it was nice to see him respond quickly. He was a much smarter player in the third period."
It did not take long for that message to sink in for Marchand. The forward scored just six seconds into the third period, and he played smart the rest of the way.
"Yeah you just want to bounce back. I didn't want to hang my head, I wanted to go and show I can be better," Marchand said. "And I think he was kind of giving me a pat on the butt. I had to be better in the game. I didn't have a good first couple periods I want to come in the third and play stronger and help the team win."
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"You don't ever want that to be the scenario when you miss a couple of opportunities at the end of the game when your down a bit. But a couple penalties were…I have to avoid. It's kind of a wake up call. It is needed sometimes and tonight was one of those times," said Marchand, who added Julien did not have to say anything to him to get the message.
"Marsh is a guy who plays on the edge. And every once in a while he crosses that line, and it's what makes him a good player," said Julien. "But at the same time, it can hurt his hockey team. It doesn't just frustrate coaches, I'm sure it frustrates his teammates at times, too, when he puts us in that position."
"It was a penalty that wasn't necessary, and really got us in a bad position. Again, let's not make a big deal of it: It was a message sent to him that he can't put us in that situation, and the character that he has, he didn't say a word, he just responded with a solid third period, and that's what I like about Brad – he takes responsibly, and when he's given a chance, he answers properly," the head coach added.
Marchand also got some words of advice from his line mate, Patrice Bergeron.
"A couple of times before the third and right before when we're on the ice, (Bergeron) just said 'keep your head up and let's go for it, bounce back' kind of thing and kind of get me motivated," said Marchand. "It just shows his leadership and just another little thing."
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It was good to see Julien crack the whip a bit with Marchand, who has been known to let his emotions get the best of him. Julien showed he was not afraid to put a player in their place, and change the lines up to do so, something he was criticized for not doing last season.
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