Fans around the league heavily criticized the Boston Bruins for naming Brad Marchand as their new team captain earlier this year.
Marchand has long been known as one of the dirtiest players in the league, recognized for his hot temper and on-ice antics.
However, Marchand has always been a beloved teammate in Boston and a big leader in the locker room. Since he was named captain, he has actually managed to keep his cool for most games.
But on Thursday, Marchand was back to his old tricks, leading to him getting tackled by a referee.
Marchand scored a hat trick earlier this week, but the Bruins trailed 3-1 in the third period in Thursday’s contest with the Buffalo Sabres.
Marchand tried to get his team going, but instead, he delivered a nasty leg-to-leg hit on Henri Jokiharju. Marchand was called for a trip, and he was furious with the call and how the Sabres responded to the hit.
Jokiharju went after Marchand, and in an attempt to break loose from the referees, it just got even uglier. Suddenly, one of the linesmen charged in and tackled Marchand down to the ice to prevent things from escalating.
Marchand seemed to think that Jokiharju ducked out of the way for the hit, leading to the leg-on-leg contact, but the refs had a different opinion.
On social media, many fans slammed Marchand for both the hit and how he behaved after it.
“Didn’t like that trip. Similarly dangerous to a slew foot,” one said.
“There’s also a dirty hit, but that’s standard for every Marchand replay, so I didn’t feel the need to mention it,” another said.
“Ah yes, that’s the guy Bruins fans said had matured into captain material,” a third added.
