Who launched Brad Marchand into superstardom? Was it Claude Julien, under whom Marchand scored 21 goals and won the Stanley Cup as a rookie en route to scoring 37 last year? Was it one of his junior coaches? Was it, um, Brad Marchand?
On Sunday, Mike Babcock tossed his name into the hat, suggesting that perhaps putting No. 63 on a loaded first line with Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron during the World Cup of Hockey made Marchand realize he was one of the game’s best. Marchand is currently second in the NHL to Crosby in both goals (37; Crosby has 40) and points (79 to Crosby’s 80).
“I was thinking about exactly that the other day -- I was thinking I shouldn’t have done that,” Babcock said, per the Toronto Star. “I should have put (Marchand) on the fifth line, sucked the life out of him.”
The line is clearly a joke and you're an absolute idiot if you take issue with it. Babcock knows Marchand and everyone who knows Marchand knows that he doesn’t need to be told he’s a good player. His season last year solidified his standing among the league’s best scorers.
Since the 2010-11 season (Marchand’s first full season in the NHL), he ranks 12th in goals. Over the last two seasons, only Patrick Kane (78), Alexander Ovechkin (78) and Crosby (76) have scored more goals than Marchand’s 74. As such, maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that Babcock said he considers Marchand one of the three best players in the league.
“No one’s driving his team harder,” Babcock said, per Sportsnet. “Marchy’s a great guy and he’s a real good player, plays hard. He’s competitive. He’s all-in every day and he does a good job for his team.”
Babcock will get another good look at Marchand Monday night when the Bruins and Leafs square off in an important divisional game. The Leafs currently sit three points behind Boston for the third spot in the Atlantic, though Toronto has a game in hand with 12 games remaining on its schedule.
Boston Bruins
Securing the third Atlantic spot is key for Boston, as the top wild card spot is all but sewn up by the Rangers, while there is currently stiff competition for the second wild card spot between the Leafs, Islanders, Lightning and Flyers.