'Bad' Brad Marchand strikes again
Boston Bruin spears Lightning's Jake Dotchin, receives game misconduct
Fans love to hate Brad Marchand and he gave them yet another reason on Tuesday night in Boston.
The Bruins forward speared Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin in the groin then proceeded to stick him in the face while he was down. He received a five-minute major for spearing and a game misconduct. Given his reputation, he may hear from the NHL's department of player safety.
Even with Marchand's spotty history, some fans were still surprised by his tactics.
Marchand just did one of the most irresponsibly dumb thins I have ever seen. Dude is a top player. Unbelievable
—@FredToucher
Others — not so much.
Hockey news:<br>Brad Marchand is still a dirty hockey player. <br><br>Other news: <br>Pope is still Catholic. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stayclassybro?src=hash">#stayclassybro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHL?src=hash">#NHL</a>
—@KirstenDavis_
Some even took offence to the harsh penalty and compared it to Crosby's lack of punishment for recently slashing part of Marc Methot's finger off.
Marchand spears a guy in the nuts and gets a game misconduct. Crosby spears a guy in the nuts and isn't even penalized. Consistency.
—@_88Showtime
Whether or not Marchand got the raw end of the deal, the Bruins managed to clinch a playoff berth without his services in a 4-0 win against the Lightning.