SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand is an expert hockey participant {and professional} chirper. He is glorious at hockey. He may be even higher at chirping.
A chirp, loosely outlined in hockey phrases, is an insult. A wisecrack. Those towards opponents, you would possibly (and doubtless do) imply these. Those towards teammates, not a lot.
Which brings us to the Florida Panthers‘ locker room on Thursday evening, after Marchand scored his first objective for his new staff — the primary time he scored within the NHL for anybody apart from the Boston Bruins.
“He is a rat,” Rodrigues stated. “Yeah, I wasn’t too pleased.”
Marchand, sitting close by, smiled broadly when he heard. Clearly, Marchand wasn’t going to let Rodrigues’ chirp go unanswered.
“He’s not improper,” Marchand stated. “I’ve hated him. We skated collectively in the summertime and I’ve hated him for a very long time, in order that’s not going to alter now.”
Let’s be completely clear right here: Neither Rodrigues nor Marchand was being critical. (We do not assume so, anyway.) However the truth that Rodrigues even tried to tug off a chirp whereas speaking to a couple of dozen reporters helps as an example one of many issues that Marchand brings to the Stanley Cup champions.
He has swagger; if the Panthers puzzled about that, he joined the staff group chat with — what else? — a chirp as his introduction. He is cocky. He is a talker. These are all good issues come playoff time, with the Panthers set to start out protection of the Cup within the subsequent couple of weeks.
“That’s part of the bundle and an essential a part of it,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice stated. “All people’s going to be wired right here in 10 days, no matter it’s, two weeks. Particularly proper now, grinding by way of a few of these, he brings numerous power, proper? He’s bought heaps to say and it makes it enjoyable.”
Marchand’s objective capped a three-goal second interval for Florida, one which gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead on the best way to a 4-1 win over the Detroit Purple Wings.
Marchand was enjoying in his eighth sport for Florida, after the staff pulled off a surprising transfer on the commerce deadline and bought him from the Bruins — who’ve been a postseason rival of the Panthers in recent times. Many within the crowd Thursday gave a standing ovation when the objective was introduced as Marchand’s “twenty second of the season and first as a Florida Panther.”
Marchand had two assists in his first seven video games with Florida, together with one in his debut with the Panthers on March 28 that arrange an extra time winner by Sam Bennett. Marchand’s first objective got here on his fifteenth shot with Florida.
“I’m simply having fun with this complete journey,” Marchand stated. “It’s such a singular expertise for myself and I’ve been a part of actually good groups which have completed huge issues and a few that haven’t. Regardless, what you notice is that these alternatives are only a few and much between and you have to take pleasure in every single day on this league. And I’m having quite a lot of enjoyable proper now.”
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