Marchand returns to scene of World Cup of Hockey win as Bruins ready for Maple Leafs home opener

[size=43]Marchand returns to scene of World Cup of Hockey win as Bruins ready for Maple Leafs home opener[/size]



BY MIKE ZEISBERGER, TORONTO SUN

FIRST POSTED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016 07:07 PM EDT | UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016 07:19 PM EDT

TORONTO — You are going to want to jeer him Saturday night.
Brad Marchand knows that.
Brad Marchand expects that.
Two weeks ago, you loved him. Now you’ll loathe him. At least for three periods (plus overtime?) on Saturday.
Two weeks ago, he was the toast of the country, scoring the tournament-winning goal — shorthanded, no less — in a dramatic 2-1 victory over Team Europe on Sept. 29 at the Air Canada Centre, a signature moment that caused the capacity crowd to go bonkers as the Canadians captured the World Cup of Hockey in the most storybook of fashions.
Now, two weeks later, with his Team Canada experience having expired with a jubilant post-game celebration befitting the hero he was, Marchand isn’t wearing a maple leaf on his chest anymore. He’s traded it in for his familiar Bruins logo, one he’ll be sporting when Boston provides the opposition for the Maple Leafs' home opener that will serve as the splashy curtain-raiser on the franchise’s 100th season.

Marchand understands that those same Canada supporters at the ACC who considered him a friend will now morph into Leafs fans who look at him as a foe. And, thus, still lugging around the reputation as one of the peskiest agitators in the sport, Marchand is fine with the reality that he is the enemy now.
“Just being here in the city and going to the rink, it’ll all come back to me,” Marchand said Friday in Toronto, referring to the great World Cup memories that have been, and will be, conjured up while being back at the ACC.
“But we have to put all that behind us. I’m expecting to be booed Saturday just like every other visiting building I’m in. It should be fun.”
Booed? Fun? For Brad Marchand, it is.
Being the object of the venomous wrath of the crowd means one thing — he is doing his job, which in many instances means getting under the opposition’s skin.
Team Canada coach Mike Babcock thoroughly enjoyed coaching Marchand, but now the job at hand for the Leafs bench boss is stopping him. And, as such, Babcock wants everyone to be honest here: People need to take Marchand for what he is.
So, what exactly is he?
“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Babcock said. “He’s still a pest.”
Agreed. But at the same time, he’s also becoming one of the most lethal offensive players in the game today.
Marchand’s international triumphant came on the heels of a breakout 37-goal season. Carrying the momentum of his World Cup dramatics, he exploded for a five-point night in the Bruins' season opener Thursday, carving the Blue Jackets for two goals and three assists in Boston’s 6-3 victory in Columbus.
“It doesn’t happen often,” Marchand said. “It was fun. It was a great game to be part of.”
With Bruins/Team Canada teammate Patrice Bergeron injured and on the shelf, David Backes stepped into that spot between Marchand and David Pastrnak, a move that spearheaded Boston's comeback bid against Columbus after going down 2-0 early on.
But Marchand’s points explosion doesn’t mean he won’t still bring his trademark sandpaper style of play to the rink every day, a trait he’ll be ready to display once again against Babcock’s Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada.
“Once the game starts, no matter what the relationships have been, you have to go out there and do your job,” he said. “I’m going to do mine and whatever that entails, that’s what it’s going to be.”
So go ahead. Boo him if you want. He gets it. You’ll likely have reason to on Saturday.
But he’ll always have the memory of when you applauded him in this same building two weeks ago for scoring one of the most iconic goals in recent memory.
That’s something no one can ever take away from him.
And that’s a good thing.
BABCOCK 'AN INCREDIBLE COACH': MARCHAND
Brad Marchand feels the sky is the limit for a Maple Leafs team led by coach Mike Babcock and rookie Auston Matthews.
He just doesn’t want the home side to show it against his Bruins on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.
“He’s an incredible coach,” Marchand said of Babcock. “You can see why his teams have done so well over the years. He’s a phenomenal coach. Toronto is very lucky to have him as a coach.
“The way he expects so much out of his players, he demands so much. He pushes guys to their limits and it does push guys to their next level. He plays fast, he’s a very intense guy. He’s awesome coach and it was a great opportunity to play under him at the World Cup.”
As for Matthews, getting under the kid’s skin could be be part of Boston’s blueprint after watching Matthews set a record by scoring four goals in his NHL debut Wednesday, a 5-4 overtime loss to the Senators in Ottawa.
“He’s obviously a great player,” Marchand said. “I had the opportunity to play against him a couple of times at the World Championships and watching him there. He plays well beyond his years.
“You see the damage he can do when you give him space. We are going to have to make sure to keep an eye on him and play him hard.”