Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand criticized Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, and Ilya Samsonov after the Russian quadrumvirate broke NHL protocol during a recent road trip. The group congregated together in the same hotel room after Samsonov had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The NHL placed all four players on the COVID-19 Inactive List — they’ll all miss four games at least — and levied the Capitals a $100,000 fine.
Marchand, speaking on Thursday after the Bruins’ practice, had no sympathy for the Capitals, saying the team’s Russians reaped what they sowed.
“I think the big thing is, it’s more of a respect thing,” Marchand said. “We all want to be able to play, and there’s rules put in place for a reason. And they’re not that hard to follow. We all know the consequences of breaking the rules, and we know what the rules are. So they brought that on themselves. We’ve all been told very heavily what we’re allowed to do and what we’re not allowed to do, so it is what it is on their side of things.
“I think it just comes down to having respect for one another,” Marchand added. “You can easily hurt your team by breaking the rules and potentially getting it and having to quarantine. It’s pretty simple to follow the rules. If you get it by chance, it is what it is. It’s almost inevitable. But if you’re going to put yourself in a situation, that’s on you.”
Marchand, a notorious pest as a player, has a long history of sandpapery-ness with the Capitals.
In 2018, Marchand bloodied an unprepared Lars Eller after instigating a fight with the center while the Capitals up 7-0 during their banner-raising night.
Later in the season, a prepared Eller challenged Marchand to a fight, and the Bruins forward turtled.
Marchand has also picked on several other Capitals players during games but has rebuffed Tom Wilson when he’s come calling.
During his interview with the press, Marchand was also asked about former teammate Zdeno Chara, who is now playing for the Caps.
“I kind of canceled my cable, so I haven’t been able to really watch hockey, and I haven’t been focusing on other teams,” Marchand said. “But I have seen a couple clips, and it is weird to see him in a different jersey. He’s obviously been here my entire career, the last 14 years, 15 years, whatever it’s been. It almost seemed like that was where he was going to be forever, but I think it speaks volumes to his character and who he is that he was willing to make a change like that, this late in his career. He wants to continue to play, no matter what that was going to take. He’s one of the best to ever play for a reason. He’s got that drive and that dedication.”
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