Magic vs. Bird, Reggie Miller vs. Spike Lee, Kobe vs. Shaq, Avery vs. Brodeur... Brad Marchand versus the Carolina Hurricanes? The latest hot rivalry in sports isn't one most would've seen coming.
Maybe we shouldn't be surprised. Marchand has always been in the mix for some drama, even before he entered the NHL, and is infamous for getting under people's skin -- often referred to as a "rat." But this season? He's even taking that up a notch.
First, Marchand pushed Artemi Panarin so far off the edge that the New York Rangers star whipped his glove at Marchand from across the benches (and added fuel to the fire with post-game comments, too), then he ripped the NHL's decision to disallow NHL players from going to the Olympics.
Now, he's ruthlessly taking shots at any person or team that comes after him -- just ask Vincent Trocheck and the Hurricanes. Here's a timeline of the Marchand -- Hurricanes beef:
"You saying I'm a rat?"
Before the Hurricanes played the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, Raleigh News & Observer reporter Chip Alexander asked Trocheck if he and Marchand had a similar playing style in an "agitating kind of way," to which he responded in cheeky fashion, throwing shade at the Bruins star.
"You saying I'm a rat, Chip? You saying I'm a rat?" said Trocheck with a grin.
"Comparing a Lambo to a Prius"
From Marchand's perspective, being compared to Trocheck was insulting enough, save for being laughed about and called a rat.
Through a since-deleted post on Instagram, Marchand said: "This is like comparing a Lambo to a Prius," while providing screenshots of his career stats vs. Trocheck's.
Brad Marchand responds on Instagram:
"This is like comparing a Lambo to a Prius."
(And yes, he included the https://t.co/sv6mdSThSq pages.) https://t.co/1IFb0i1rJp pic.twitter.com/jej9VOK8ln— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 18, 2022
Marchand, the Lamborghini, has well over a point per game in each of his last six seasons and ranks among the top scorers in recent years, whereas Trocheck, the Prius, has only reached above 60 points once in his career -- partially due to injuries and shortened seasons.
Nevertheless, a mic drop to end the drama, right?
Not so fast...
"L stands for Lamborghini"
Marchand's post lit a fire under the Hurricanes as they proceeded to crush the Bruins 7-1, Trocheck also got the best of Marchand in the process.
As soon as the game ended, Carolina's Twitter team snapped back with a jab of their own.
L stands for Lamborghini pic.twitter.com/3fsxDv3KUz
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 19, 2022
"You're still the reason we pay 20% in escrow"
Still, Marchand, up to now, has had the last laugh.
As part of NHL's CBA, the league pulls back a certain amount of money from player contracts to make sure the league and the players split revenue 50/50. What Marchand called out is that the Hurricanes are the reason players pay 20 per cent of their salary in escrow, perhaps due to the fact that Carolina is not a traditionally thriving hockey market.
You’re still the reason we pay 20% in escrow
— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) January 19, 2022
The Lamborghini versus Prius statistical evidence was hard to dispute, but in this case Marchand's statement isn't completely true.
Vocal player agent Allan Walsh even gave his two cents, to which Marchand quickly dismissed.
It’s not that kind of party Allan
— Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) January 20, 2022
If the Hurricanes' social media team showed us anything with the Jesperi Kotkaniemi ordeal, they're relentless, so we can expect more drama. Although this time Marchand is proving to be a far more worthy challenger than the Montreal Canadiens.
Luckily for hockey fans, the Hurricanes and Bruins play next on Feb. 10.
