„It’s just fun to be here and be fun to be his teammate. I think he’s one of the best players in the league.“
Hockey players are a different breed. It’s not unusual for two players to beat the crap out of each other, then hoist a few beers together the next time they see each other over the summer. Goalies Byron Dafoe and Olaf Kolzig were best men in each other’s weddings and yet fought each other on the ice. Brothers Keith and Wayne Primeau even dropped the gloves and fought each other.
It is generally part of the hockey culture that what happens on the ice stays on the ice.
But what happened between Brad Marchand and the Bruins star’s newest teammate Marcus Johansson on Jan. 23 of last year was different. Late in that tight game with the New Jersey Devils, Marchand took a shot on net and followed it up hard. From one angle, it appeared Marchand was trying to avoid the goaltender and simply collided with Johansson. There was no penalty on the play. But a different view showed that Marchand gave Johansson a flying elbow to the head.
The Department of Player Safety went with the latter angle and nailed Marchand with a five-game suspension. Johansson wasn’t so lucky. He didn’t play another regular season game last season, returning for three playoff games. And when he was well enough to speak with reporters about the hit, Johansson didn’t hold back.
He called the hit “stupid” last March and added “I think it’s said to see that there are still players who are trying to hurt other players.
