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Bruins Captain Marchand Downplays Any Rift With Coach Montgomery

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Boston Bruins team captain Brad Marchand downplayed any rumors of a possible rift with coach Jim Montgomery, following an intense exchange between the two during Saturday’s road game in Utah.



Montgomery’s emotions were on full display last weekend. He was caught on camera barking at Marchand on the bench following a key turnover that almost led to a Utah goal. The coach appeared to accentuate his points, pushing the veteran on the shoulder from behind as he sat on the bench.

Although the incident generated some initial buzz, Marchand shrugged off any notion that the two were at odds on Thursday.

“People are very sensitive these days,” said Marchand, prior to their home game against Dallas. “It’s unfortunate how coaches are scrutinized over things like that. There’s a lack of accountability nowadays because people can’t handle the heat. You make a mistake like that, you deserve to hear about it.”

The Utah goal was waived off following a coaches challenge on an offsides call. The Bruins ultimately lost the game 2-1 in overtime.

Read: Bruins Postgame Takeaways: Done in by Dallas

Marchand didn’t mind the tongue-lashing he received from his coach, especially after making the such a bad turnover.

“I’m glad that he said something about it,” said Marchand. “If he didn’t, we would have much bigger issues. The fact that that’s something that we’re talking about is disappointing, but that’s the way things are today.”

The outburst, however, only seemed to mirror the team’s mounting frustrations during a stagnant 3-4-1 start.

According to Montgomery, the pair are cut from the same competitive cloth.

“Him and I are both emotional people,” said Montgomery. “I’m not ecstatic with myself about it, but I don’t think about it afterwards, and neither does he. He’s a pro. He’s a great player that does so many good things for us, and he has high expectations as well. So for us, that’s over and done with.”

Marchand maintains that there is no ill will between the two.

Read: Bruins Postgame Takeaways: No Scoring In Nashville

“There’s an accountability that needs to be held in this room, and nobody’s absolved from that,” said Marchand. “I made a really bad mistake at a bad time in the game, and that’s something that’s not acceptable and shouldn’t have done to begin with.”

“I expected to hear about it, not only from him, but a bunch of guys on the bench too,” he added. “So I should be held accountable in that situation. I’m glad that he did.”

Montgomery is feeling the pressure. The coach remains in the last year of his contract, putting him in a precarious situation.

Marchand is also in the final year of his contract. The captain has stated he will not talk about his contract situation to the media, after initial reports he deemed erroneous surfaced during training camp.

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