If you don’t think that frustrations have started to boil over for the Boston Bruins after losing Games 5 and 6 to the Maple Leafs, look no further than the actions of Brad Marchand.
The Bruins captain, who has been known as one of the league’s best pests, had social media buzzing after an incident in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Boston, when he was taken down to the ice.
That in itself isn’t usually cause for much talk, except it was linesman Andrew Smith who ended up scoring the takedown.
“And the referee clobbers Marchand!” Sportsnet commentators said after the scuffle, during which Marchand was trying to get at Maple Leafs forward Pontus Holmberg.
Marchand seemed stunned when looking up at who took him to the ice before seemingly yelling “Get off me!”
During Game 6 in Toronto on Thursday night, Marchand was at it again — perhaps getting a little bit of revenge on the on-ice officials.
After a brief tussle during play in which Marchand tried to check Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi into the Bruins bench before going off for a line change. Bertuzzi escaped back to his own bench while Marchand tried to get into the door of his, only to be partially blocked by linesman Ryan Daisy.
The frustrated Marchand gave Daisy a shove away from the door before taking a breather. The linesman looked a bit surprised, but quickly moved on without making a call on the contact.
While many didn’t notice the exchange at first, social media sleuths soon after cried foul.
“Not a good look!!!” former NHL referee Tim Peel posted on X.
Another X user questioned whether Marchand will be disciplined for the shove.
“Is Brad Marchand going to receive any discipline from @NHLPlayerSafety or will the @NHL pretend it was a mistake while Bruins fans pretend the ref flopped? Just curious. Seemed incredibly unnecessary.”
One intrepid X user posted directly from the NHL rulebook, saying that it should be an automatic 10-game ban for the Bruins captain.
“Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official in any manner … which physical force is applied without intent to injure, or who spits on an official, shall be automatically suspended for not less than 10 games,” the NHL rulebook states, adding If there’s intent to injure, that goes up to 20 games.