Brad Marchand returns from suspension knowing he's put his credibility on the line

NEW YORK – He’s back.

After serving a five-game suspension for his elbow to the head of New Jersey Devils’ Marcus Johansson on Jan. 23, Brad Marchand returns to the Bruins' lineup tonight against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

At the time of his suspension, the Bruins were in the midst of a 17-game point streak, and his line, along with Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, was the best trio in the NHL. During his hiatus, the Bruins went 4-1-0.

“Hopefully they let me back in,” Marchand said with a laugh.



But his latest bout of supplementary discipline wasn’t a laughing matter and he realizes that.

“Given the circumstances, it was a little tougher being out this time,” Marchand said. “It’s never easy to watch, especially when we lost (to Anaheim) and I didn’t know how the next three were going to, so I was very happy with the way the guys responded and it’s a lot easier to be out when your team is winning. It’s always tough to watch. You want to be on the ice. You want to be in the room with the guys. You don’t feel as close to the team when you’re not playing, you always feel a little bit disconnected, so it’ll be good to get back on Wednesday and feel part of the group again.”

Next time, and let’s be honest, there will be a next time only because of the way he plays, the league won’t be as lenient. Overall, he’s been suspended for a total of 19 games and has forfeited nearly $900,000 in salary. He understands that the next time will be a lengthy suspension.

“Yeah, it’s a little nerve-racking, to be honest,” Marchand said. “No one wants to be in that position. I never wanted to get to this point. It’s from my own doing and obviously, I have to be better and I have to continue to make strides and I’ll continue to work on it.”

Given the way he plays and his reputation, it will be difficult to be on his best on-ice behavior because opponents will attempt to get under his skin and get him to retaliate, especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“That will be a challenge for him,” admitted Bruce Cassidy. “Now, he doesn’t have the rope that some other players have because of what has happened previously. There will be certain players that might test him and that’s where he’s going to have to have that much more discipline.”

That practice of trying to get Marchand off his game is actually already happening, because he’s become one of the top players in the league and opponents know his mentality.

“The biggest thing is just (to) be aware of where guys are on the ice,” Marchand said. “Know where guys are coming in from, and as long as you don’t put yourself in a bad position, hopefully I’ll be ok. It’s the way it is; things happen fast. It’s tough to keep track of every guy on the ice, but that’s the biggest thing of trying to be more aware.”

When the league announced the suspension, the Bruins were in Ottawa to play the Senators. Cassidy sat down with Marchand to discuss the situation. It was a matter-of-fact type of conversation. The coach simply asked what Marchand wanted his legacy to be, because the suspensions and fines are adding up.

“You’re going to lose some of the credibility of being one of the best players right now,” Cassidy told Marchand.

The coach became a bit emotional afterward when talking about Marchand as a father, husband, son and friend. His on-ice antics have upset many around the league, but he’s still one of the best players in the league.

“He’s one of the best players in the National Hockey League and every team would welcome him on their team,” Cassidy said. “He just has to be careful because you start getting seven, eight, nine or 10 suspensions then people look at you in a different light. So, it’s up to him. If he’s ok with that, he’s ok with it. Deep down, it hurts himself and his teammates and the organization over time and he’s aware of that.

“Brad also plays a certain style of game and I don’t think that’s changing, so we’re trying to merge those two and I don’t know if there’s an easy way to do it every night. He’s got to be mindful of it and hopefully moving forward he’s able to address it.”

Marchand can’t undo his past. What he can do is continue to develop into one of the elite players in the NHL and leave a positive impression.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” he said. “I’ve tried for a while now to kind of get away from that role and I just can’t seem to escape it. Honestly, if you look back on the last few years, I’ve turned into a decent player and it’s tough to be branded with that name consistently. It’s from my own doing and it’s tough to escape it. It’s devil’s advocate (because) it’s what I had to do to get into the league, so I’ll never say that I wouldn’t go back and play the same way again coming into the league. It’s what I had to do to earn a job and get where I am today.”

His legacy remains in question. He’s only 29 and has plenty of hockey ahead of him. His resume, fortunately and unfortunately, speaks for itself. The final chapters aren’t written but Marchand knows how he wants the rough draft to look.

“When you’re done, you wanna look back on and say you’re remembered as a decent player,” Marchand said. “I’ve had a decent run with the Cup, World Championship, World Cup and World Juniors, so there are some accolades there too that I want to be remembered for, but it’s kind of overshadowed right now.”