Brad Marchand: 'Tomas Plekanec From Montreal, I Hate Him'
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's the middle of summer, and just about all emotions from the intense NHL season and postseason should be pretty cool right about now. That is, unless you're Brad Marchand.
The Bruins' pesky left winger is never afraid to mix it up when he's on the ice, often pushing and shoving after whistles in order to draw the ire of opposing teams' star players to get them off their games. Along the way, of course, Marchand has gained many on-ice enemies, something the 26-year-old seems to revel in.
Yet while Marchand is typically known as the one who aggravates opponents, he too has several players of whom he's not very fond. He admitted as much recently when speaking at a dinner in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
"There are a few guys who really irritate me," Marchand said. "Tomas Plekanec from Montreal, I hate him. Oh, I can't stand him."
Marchand then backed off his comments ... ever-so-slightly.
"No, I probably shouldn't say that. I dislike him very much," Marchand said.
Upon realizing that he'll likely be receiving a phone call from someone in the Bruins organization that he shouldn't have said what he said, Marchand politely asked the crowd, "Don't tweet that."
Alas, in the Internet age, just about everything becomes public.
Plekanec, as you may remember, became the laughingstock of the NHL during the postseason for his egregious flop after taking a stick to the shoulder and selling it as if he had been hit in the face. While Marchand has made his fair share of embarrassing dives in the NHL, the #Plekanecing trend was one in which Marchand likely found a great deal of joy.
Marchand's distaste for Plekanec, who's played for the Montreal Canadiens for a decade, might help explain this move from this past season's playoffs:
The Bruins and Canadiens will meet in a preseason game on Sept. 23, and their first regular-season will come on Oct. 16. We'll see then if Plekanec responds to Mr. Marchand's comments.
MORE SPORTS FROM CBS BOSTON
