OTTAWA – Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised.
It doesn’t exactly take a brilliant hockey mind to look at last year’s NHL scoring list and see that Brad Marchand more than belongs among the 23 players comprising this version of Team Canada.
It’s just that reputations and labels can be difficult to shake. Tougher than Marchand on the forecheck, in fact.
And so it remains somewhat jarring that the agitator-turned-sniper has already found a home on the only forward line head coach Mike Babcock is fully committed to a week out from the World Cup. That it happens to be the No. 1 line with Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron will be an eye-opener for some observers.
However, you can begin to understand the logic after watching Marchand do his thing in two pre-tournament games against Team USA. He was fast and elusive. He was, quite simply, a pleasing player to watch on an ice surface littered with far bigger names and reputations.
“He just makes stuff happen,” teammate John Tavares said after a 5-2 victory on Saturday night. “He’s very crafty. I think he’s not given as much credit for the skill that he has. He’s really got a nice set of hands and always seems to be in the right spots turning pucks over, doing good things defensively, getting a stick in the lane, blocking a shot.”
Marchand is a Stanley Cup champion and two-time gold medallist at the world junior championship. He was also part of Canada’s victory at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in May. No matter what you might think of him, he’s hardly chopped liver.
However, he’s also a third-round draft pick who played 20 games in his first NHL season with the Boston Bruins and didn’t so much as score a goal.
He potted a career-best 37 last season – one more than Crosby – and has set about focusing more on that side of his game than what originally made him infamous around the league. To that end, playing in a best-on-best competition like this one offers a pretty unique opportunity.
You can’t get a much bigger vote of confidence than seeing Babcock rest Crosby for Saturday’s game against Team USA because he’s set on that line with Bergeron and Marchand. (Keeping his captain out of the fray after an emotional, physical battle on Friday provided a nice side benefit to the decision).
What Team Canada was seeking most out of these tuneup games was a sense of cohesion. The fact they split them hardly mattered. They were much more interested in getting a clearer idea of what this group might eventually look like and felt good about dominating possession with a cumulative 81-48 shots advantage.
There was still a little too much over-passing and a lack of crispness on the power play, but they’ve laid down some building blocks.
Tavares played a great game on Saturday with two power-play goals and showed promise at even strength with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Tyler Seguin initially started on the wing with Bergeron and Marchand, but eventually assumed a spot at centre between Matt Duchene and Joe Thornton.
He promptly connected with Duchene on a nice goal off the rush.
The Logan Couture–Jonathan Toews–Steven Stamkos generated a lot of scoring chances, too.
“We’re trying to find other groups obviously,” said Babcock.
There wasn’t the same intensity to this game as the one in Columbus – it’s simply not possible in a back-to-back situation directly out of the summer – but Marchand felt it was close to playoff pace. He also thought he held his own “considering everything that’s going on.”
“There’s a lot of emotions right now and new teammates and everything,” he said.
It was telling that Marchand wasn’t causing much of the havoc over six emotional periods. On Saturday it was Tavares and Thornton that each took an opportunity to lay a hard hit on American centre Ryan Kesler – an unpopular opponent who earned a boarding major for hitting Shea Weber from behind in Friday’s game.
Marchand did briefly get into with T.J. Oshie in front of the benches, liberally using his stick almost like someone paddling a canoe, but generally stood out for the more productive contributions he was making.
He generated turnovers, got pucks to the net and unsettled opponents with his quickness.
“Again, I was more concerned about playing,” said Marchand. “I’m playing with Sid and Bergy, two great players, I’m not worried about doing that other stuff. I mean when guys are going after Sid I’m going to get in there and help out and stuff.
“But for the most part I’m just trying to play.”
Even though that makes for a nice tidy storyline, it might be a little early to declare it a fait accompli.
Those that have been through battles with Marchand over the years certainly aren’t scrubbing the word “agitator” from his job description. Heck, there’s still a long way to go before the heat truly gets turned up in this tournament.
“I wouldn’t let him fool you,” said Tavares, flashing a sly grin. “I think he enjoys that.”
