Marchand Blames Canadian NHL Fans For Their Team’s Failures

Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand has never been one to endear himself to opposing fans. Following another dominating performance over the Vancouver Canucks in a 3-2 win for the Bruins, Marchand put an even bigger target for hate from Canadian fans next time the Bruins travel north of the border.

According to former Boston Bruins forward and NHL on TNT analyst Anson Carter, during the Sportsnet broadcast of the game Sunday night Vancouver Canucks play-by-play man John Garrett said he ‘hated’ Marchand following Marchand’s slew foot of Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Note: On Monday morning, Marchand and the Boston Bruins were notified that Marchand will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety to determine if and what supplemental discipline Marchand could receive for the slew foot.

Watching the @NHLBruins game and I heard the @Canucks game analyst say he “hated Brad Marchand” and Canadian hockey fans wonder why @nhl players don’t want to play in Canada. It’s because it’s not just about the game. It’s always personal with some of the media coverage there.

— Anson Carter (@AnsonCarterLA) November 29, 2021

Garrett replied to Carter claiming he never said he hated Marchand but the Bruins winger, who scored the game-tying goal and set up the game-winner, was still asked about it after the game. Based on Marchand’s reply, he thinks Canadian hockey fans play a large role in their country’s 28-year Stanley Cup drought and definitely in the Canucks’ failures this season.

“I think the big thing in Canada is that they’re very, very passionate about the game. That is definitely — and not just the fans. Hockey is a way of life in Canada,” Marchand said. “That’s just, it’s the way it is. As soon as you can walk, you’re putting skates on. The lakes are always frozen in Canada, so there’s always ice available and ponds and stuff like that. So it’s a way of life. There’s a lot of passionate fans for their teams.”

As Marchand pointed out though, that passion can backfire when things don’t go well and in some cases, manifest into hate.

“I think that it just kind of bleeds over into it. I mean, there’s a lot of cases where teams don’t do well in Canada, that it’s hard on players,” Marchand said. “Their families get picked on, their kids get picked on at school. So, you know, the fans can be a big part of why teams don’t have success. Because they make it miserable on the players at times. They definitely push guys away to go to teams that don’t have that kind of fan base. So sometimes the fans out there need to look themselves in the mirror as well.”

Marchand and the Boston Bruins will begin a three-game roadie through Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary on December 8 against the Canucks.