Brad Marchand Better Under Pressure
Brad Marchand has always been considered a unique hockey player. At an alarmingly short height of 5’9” (Torey Krug told me to say that), Marchand has implemented a unique and effective approach at performing on the ice - the approach being as consistent of a pain in the rear to the opposing team as possible.
Marchand’s tactics work - they always have, and they always will. But what is the identifying factor as to why Marchand’s tactics work so well?
The unique reality of Marchand’s game is that the more he’s penalized, the more he scores. This isn’t just based on theory or thought - there are some underlying trends indicating an elevation in his game while being penalized more frequently.
Looking back at the beginning of Marchand’s career with the Moncton Wildcats, the Halifax-native had 29 points in 61 games with 52 penalty minutes. The following year, with an additional 31 penalty minutes in 2005, Marchand subsequently had an additional 37 points in just 7 more games played. Surely that’s just due to experience and comfort, right?
The following year in 2006, Marchand increased his penalty minutes by another 25 minutes totaling 108 PIMs, in which he had an increase in point production by 14 points in 57 games. Again, experience and comfort, right?
Let’s look at some NHL numbers: in 2014, with 64 PIM’s, Marchand had 53 points. In 2016, with 90 PIM’s, Marchand had 61 points. In 2019, with 96 PIM’s, Marchand had 100 points.
This could be coincidental, and it’s important to remember that the Bruins top line has featured stints of both Tyler Seguin, Reilly Smith, and David Pastrnak that may have an impact on Marchand’s productivity. That being said, I think there’s reason to question if one of Marchand’s tactics, whether it’s purely subliminal or not, is to elevate his game by the belief or idea that he has to “make up” for a mistake.
And then…2 hours and 31 minutes later, Marchand does this.
We hear time and time again that athletes will use any physical or emotional advantage to perform better in competition, and considering the consistent trend of Marchand taking what are widely considered to be unnecessary and careless penalties, and then following-up those penalties with a game-winning or go-ahead goal, it’s definitely safe to say there’s added motivation to perform at a higher level. And as frustrating as it can be for fans to watch arguably their most valuable offensive threat sit in the box while trailing in a game, the certified Nose Face Killah has a way of redeeming himself after all is said and done.
Marchand will have a chance to continue his strong postseason tonight, June 7th, as the Boston Bruins look to break a 2-2 tie in the series against the New York Islanders.