Brad Marchand went a little too far in trying to get an opponent hot under the collar.
The well-know Bruins agitator put his hand around the neck of Senators forward Nick Cousins in the first period of Boston’s 2-0 win Thursday night.
With tensions high between the teams early — Ottawa rallied for a 6-5 shootout win over Boston just six nights earlier — Marchand wasted little time in renewing the hostilities, taking off his glove and putting his bare hand around Cousins’ throat during a stoppage in play at the 3:25 mark.
A linesman quickly stepped in to separate them.
That Marchand and Cousins were the two in the midst of a brouhaha should not have come as much of a surprise to anyone watching: they were named the players other NHLers would most like to punch in the face, according to a 2024 poll by The Athletic.
Marchand, 36, is well known for bringing his special brand of edge to the game, having been scolded by the league for going on a licking spree during the 2018, in addition to his multiple fines and suspensions for dirty hits.
The Boston captain once insulted Artemi Panarin to the point the the Rangers scorer threw a glove at him across the bench.
He hasn’t been afraid to mix it up off the ice this season, either, having engaged in a war of words with a local radio host after the latter’s report that Marchand and star Bruins winger David Pastrnak didn’t like one another earlier this month.
“I know reporters have a job to do and that job is to report on the team,” Marchand told media members. “Usually, you try to be fact-based. But when there’s just blatant lies told in the media, that’s where there’s a problem. The fact this guy has a platform and is just making this up is embarrassing. There’s zero truth to anything he said. This is how you lose a job very quickly. The fact that he’s gonna have a job after this is insane.”
After Marchand’s actions Thursday night, his job may not be in peril, but his paycheck might if the league decides he needs a call to talk about it.
