Things are heating up in Boston. There have reportedly been claims of a rift between the Bruins’ superstars David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, but last week, the team’s captain made very straightforward comments dismissing those claims as completely untrue. Now, the reporter who first made these allegations has fired back with some harsh words about the Boston Bruins player.
It hasn’t been the best season for the Boston Bruins. Earlier this season, they made a change on the bench, releasing Jim Montgomery from his duties. However, they haven’t gotten the full effect of the head coach change, and they currently hold fourth place in the Atlantic Division, albeit with a lower win percentage than the fifth- and sixth-ranked teams, Ottawa and Detroit.
What’s even worse for Boston is the swirling reports about a potential rift between superstars Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
Marchand slammed back at reporter
These claims originated from WEEI’s Rich Keefe, who alleged that Pastrnak had even told teammates he didn’t want to play on the same line as Marchand.
“What I’m hearing is they’re also a mess off the ice,” Keefe said on ‘Jones & Keefe’ last Friday. “Apparently, the locker room is a disaster, and David Pastrnak is at the center of that. David Pastrnak has told the team he doesn’t want to be on a line with Brad Marchand, and it may stem from Brad Marchand calling out Pastrnak for some of his play throughout the year.”
Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins were on the road in Florida when the news broke, and he wasted no time addressing the matter—and he didn’t hold back in his comments about the reports.
“I’ve heard what was said in the media this morning. It’s unfortunate,” Marchand told reporters. “I know reporters have a job to do, and that job is to report on the team. Usually, you try to be fact-based. But when there are just blatant lies told in the media, that’s where there’s a problem. The fact that this guy has a platform and is just making this up is embarrassing. There’s zero truth to anything he said. This is how you lose a job very quickly. The fact that he’s going to have a job after this is insane.”
Harsh words to Marchand
Marchand went on to emphasize that he and Pastrnak are best friends and that there are no issues in the locker room whatsoever. However, Rich Keefe, who initially reported the alleged rift, stood by his story and objected to Marchand’s call for him to lose his job.
“If he’s calling for your job, like that’s his thing, that’s pathetic,” Keefe said on ‘Jones & Keefe’ on Monday.
Keefe continued to defend his report about the alleged rift in the Bruins’ locker room, adding that it was unfair to suggest he should be fired even if the claims were untrue. He pointed to some of Marchand’s own past controversies to make his point.
“So basically, if any journalist or reporter gets something wrong, they’re done?” Keefe said. “Complete hypothetical: Let’s say you screwed up a line change and cost your team a Stanley Cup, hypothetically in 2019—should you lose your job? It’s only one mistake. Let’s say you lick another player on the ice—should you lose your job for that?”
Keefe also suggested that if the Bruins put as much effort into their games as they did in responding to him, they might be in a better position in the league standings right now. The last word in the Keefe-Marchand feud has likely not been spoken.
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