Bruin forward Brad Marchand spoke to media Saturday for the first time since his slew foot on Rangers forward Derick Brassard earned him a two game suspension.
He and his coaches spoke candidly about the play and the suspension that resulted from it. Marchand appeared to accept the suspension as a natural consequence while insisting that the slew foot was not intentional.
“Going into the play, it wasn’t what I was trying to do,” he said. “I was just trying to make a hard hit. I was trying to throw him backwards, but I didn’t intend to kick his feet out. Things happen. It’s a quick game. Plays in hockey are going to happen that are questionable, and you’ve got to live with it.”
After all though, the NHL acted mainly on what they saw in the video they were presented with. That video showed a, textbook definition of a slew foot.
The NHL Department of Player Safety has revamped its approach in dealing with slew footing plays in just this season alone. What used to just earn a player a fine now gets them a suspension; similar in practice to either Marchand’s or Dallas Stars forward Ryan Garbutt who was suspended for an identical play to Marchand’s earlier this season.
Bruins coach Claude Julian touched on the topic of the crack down Saturday.
"The league made its decision. They're certainly trying to cut down on slew-footing, so we have to accept it and move on,” he said.
Beyond the suspension itself, Marchand devoted much of his statement to the topic of his growing reputation as a controversial or even dirty player. This suspension goes down as the third of his career and fourth time he has been penalized by the Department of Player Safety.
"It's a grave I've dug for myself and I've got to live with it," he acknowledged.
The NHL admittedly takes reputation into account when assessing whether or not a suspension is in order. Marchand understood that as his laundry list of infractions lengthens, his reputation might be playing a role in the frequency of these punishments.
“Maybe it played into it a little bit, but I have been trying to play within the rules and change my game,” he said. “Again, I play a hard game and I’m going to do things that are questionable at times. I’ve got to live it. The way that they discipline me, I’ve got to live with that.”
He was gracious in celebrating the fact that he will only miss two games with this suspension while keeping focused on his eventual return to game action next Wednesday vs. the Avalanche.
"They made their decision and I've got to live with that,” he said. “Hopefully the guys do well without me and I can get back in against Colorado."
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