For Marchand, Offseason Will Be Time for Reflection

BOSTON - Brad Marchand stood in front of his locker last week at Warrior Ice Arena for nearly 20 minutes reviewing the 2017-18 season.
As the 30-year-old answered questions from the assembled media during the Bruins' end-of-season availability, there was plenty of good to look back on - chiefly, a third-straight 34-plus goal campaign and a career-high 85 points, which helped the Bruins to 50 wins and a spot in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Those accolades, however, were not quite enough to overshadow some of the negatives.
Despite his continued emergence as one of the National Hockey League's premier players, Marchand found himself entangled in the center of controversy at the conclusion of his ninth season with the Black & Gold. A five-game suspension for elbowing in January, coupled with a licking controversy during the B's second-round series with the Tampa Bay Lightning have sent the winger into the offseason with plenty to ponder.
"I think the biggest thing for me now is to take a hard look in the mirror and realize the actions and some of the things I'm doing out there have much bigger consequences than I may ever think or really believe will come out of it," said Marchand. "I've always been a pretty easy going guy. There's not a whole lot that fazes me at all. I think it's kind of gotten to the point now…the last thing I ever want to do is bring embarrassment to my teammates and the organization.
"I need to be a lot better. I know I've said that in the past, but that's got to be the thing that I really work on the most. I think I've kind of gotten my game into a pretty decent spot. But I've got some character things and things that I've done that clearly need some fixing."

Marchand was thrust into the national spotlight during Game 4 against the Lightning when, in the midst of a confrontation with Tampa winger Ryan Callahan, he delivered a lick to Callahan's face. The action went un-penalized, but created yet another controversy surrounding the 5-foot-9, 181-pound agitator, on the heels of his first-round smooch of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov.
"I had no idea it was going to get this big," said Marchand. "That was not my intention by any means. Maybe after the media hype, I think it's even bigger now. I try to stay away from that. I didn't really pay attention to it a ton at the time…I never thought for a second it would get to this."
But after some time to reflect - as well as a call from NHL Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, deeming the licking unacceptable - Marchand said he has realized the unfortunate position he placed his teammates and the Bruins organization.
"It's one thing if it's bringing some heat down on myself, but when you start bringing heat on the team and the organization and being a distraction, that's when it kind of hits you a little bit harder," said Marchand. "It's tougher when you start to disappoint the team, that's when it's a bit of a wake-up call."
During their end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, Bruins president Cam Neely and owner Jeremy Jacobs reiterated their support of Marchand as a player, while acknowledging the need for the two-time All-Star to angle his focus towards his hockey talents.
"Obviously, Brad should be contrite. He was spoken to. I don't want to go into the details, but he understands how he put a negative focus on him, his family, the organization, his teammates, coaching staff," said Neely. "The thing that people don't understand - Brad is a really good guy. If you don't know him, you see this other stuff, and you really don't think highly of him. He's a tremendous hockey player. So, he's got to the point now where his game on the ice, without the antics, should speak for itself."
"I saw humor in it, and then I thought as it went along it got pretty silly and not productive towards the team," added Jacobs. "This is a player that, I can only think of 30 other teams that would love to have him, so there's a margin that you give him. But, I think he used up that margin."

Marchand has always benefited from playing with a certain edge. It is, perhaps, the biggest reason he has been able to elevate himself from a fourth-line grinder at the beginning of his rookie season in 2010 to one of the most potent point producers in the NHL.
But finding the right line has been, and will continue to be, Marchand's biggest challenge.
"When I have conversations with him, it always starts there, and then it goes to, 'Well, what do you want your legacy to be?'" said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "There's a certain level of Brad that has to be out there for him to perform the way he does. He likes certain challenges as do a lot of players in this league. Those are the ones that we have to focus on without crossing the line.
"So the licking, is that crossing the line? Apparently, it is. So, we've talked about that. I think Brad is ready to do that. We have his back; we always will."
For Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, Marchand has solidified himself as one of the game's very best. His 226 career goals and Stanley Cup ring are proof of that.
The next step, Sweeney explained, is for the Nova Scotia native to understand how some of his antics are shaping how he is perceived away from the ice.
"I think this one's hit a lot harder than some of the other things that have come his way. I think he realizes the impact," said Sweeney. "We spoke a little bit about his family and how it reflects, really, on him as a person more so than him as a player. I think he has gained a tremendous amount of respect around the National Hockey League - worldwide, as a matter of fact - for him as a player, and I think that's where the attention needs to be: 100 percent focused on his impact as a hockey player.
"People that have spent time around him as a leader of our hockey club, the things that he does to take away from that really don't need to exist anymore. It'll be up to him. The proof will be in whether or not he can find that line and never really cross it anymore, because he doesn't need to."
As is the case each summer, Marchand will be looking to hone his skills ahead of next season. But this year appears to be quite different. Becoming more of a leader and role model, both on and off the ice, will be the center of his attention.
"That's something that I've wanted to work on the last few years, take on more of that role," said Marchand, who wore the 'A' on several occasions this season. "You've got to figure some [stuff] out before that's really gonna happen, to get to that next level where [Patrice Bergeron] and [Zdeno Chara] and [David Krejci] and [David Backes] are.
"I've got to get rid of that stuff. The next few years, my biggest thing is the character side of things, [more] than [working on] my game."