Vancouver Canucks winger Brandon Prust wasn't particularly apologetic after he received a fine for spearing Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand in the groin during a Saturday game at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Despite being $5,000 poorer, Prust remained defiant when speaking to reporters, suggesting that the spearing, which you can see below, was "money well spent."
Marchand, a player known for his agitating style, responded Monday.
"Part of my game is to get under people's skin, and I thought he played with a lot more class in his game," Marchand told Joe McDonald of ESPN. "Clearly, he doesn't have that integrity that a lot of people thought he had."
While it's ironic to hear a player known to play on the edge of acceptable behavior in Marchand question another player's integrity - Marchand admitted to McDonald that something he had said to Prust earlier in the game could have sparked the incident - Marchand was at least realistic enough about the situation to acknowledge that it's something he's done in the past and, in all likelihood, something he will continue to do.
"There are a lot of good players that take jabs at guys, so people can say whatever they want," Marchand said, per McDonald. "I'm not overly upset about what happened. I've done it, and I'm sure he's done it before and I'm sure it won't be the last. It won't be the last time I do it. It's part of hockey."
That last part is true only insofar as players want it to be true. It's a part of hockey because, as Marchand put it, "Whenever you're upset at someone or you want to take a shot, it's an easy place to target and you know it's going to hurt."
So yes, it's a useful tool for guys like Marchand and Prust to get other players off their game. Is it a necessary part of the sport? No.
And so maybe Marchand, who said he didn't want to see Prust fined, should reconsider his own use of the tactic, instead of questioning another player's integrity for employing it.
