Another $5000 Fine for “Dangerous Trip” Adds to Career Tally of $1.5 Million for NHL Star Who Divides Fanbase

Tussles between players might be a common occurrence in ice hockey. But some players in the NHL are known to be rowdier than others. Brad Marchand, the Boston Bruins’ left-winger, is one such player who has racked up around $1.5 million in fines, and forfeited salary. Recently, the player was fined $5000 for slew-footing Seattle Kraken’s Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Marchand’s misconduct history is colorful, to say the least. He is famous in the NHL community for being harsh on his opponents. But he is still a beloved player amongst his fans. Therefore, when the news broke on Facebook, people had mixed reactions to the situation.

Brad Marchand does it again

A $5000 fine is the maximum permissible fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NHL Department of Player Safety usually reserves it for the most serious of infractions. Not that long ago, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings was also slapped with the same amount. And now, it’s Marchand’s turn. When the news was shared by Sportsnet on their official Facebook page, some fans came to support the Bruins player, while some thought the fine was not enough for his conduct on the ice.

According to one NHL follower, this fine was proof that the NHL DPS was not doing its job. They said, “Proving once again that the NHL’s department of player safety is a joke. Anyone suspended that often should no longer be playing 🤬”

Another user also thought that Marchand should not be given any more leeway, and said, “What ‘business’ allows an employee to be suspended 8 times and keep their job at the same company…..The NHLPA is equally at fault.” While some people were angry, others described him as a great player despite his faults. One fan commented, “He is a frustrating sometimes outright dirty and sometimes a dangerous player but he has tremendous skill and heart.”

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A Marchand fan was also of the opinion that while Bjorkstrand was the one who started the altercation, Marchand was the one who suffered the brunt, “The league has been targeting Brad for years… he has cleaned up his game and is constantly one of the best players in the league. Bjorkstrand started this and he doesnt even get mentioned 🙄 what a joke!!!” But what direction does Marchand’s suspension history point to?

The Nose Face Killah is a turbulent phenomenon

In February 2022, Marchand was handed a hefty six-game suspension after he roughed up Pittsburgh Penguin’s Tristan Jarry. Before this, he had been suspended in the same season, in November, for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Prior to that, he elbowed the Devils’ Marcus Johansson hard enough to leave the player with a concussion. This latest suspension marks the eighth suspension of his career.

Suspensions aside, Brad Marchand has also been fined numerous times. However, the player is a force of nature and does not seem like he is going to stop anytime soon. His gameplay has, at times, overshadowed his infraction record. Fans to this date say, “I’d still take him on my team,” even after knowing the number of times he’s roughed up other players.

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Would you keep a player with so many suspensions and fines on your team?