Pleasant surprise
Marchand adds new contract to big World Cup showing at Crosby’s side
Brad Marchand wasn’t among the first 16 players named to Canada’s World Cup of Hockey roster because the team’s brass wanted to avoid a controversy.
Even though everyone involved in the selection process had Marchand on their initial lists, Canada’s decision-makers knew that nobody would be surprised by his omission. Excluding a player with more star power might have caused an unnecessary controversy, so Team Canada’s brass opted to wait until late May to name Marchand to the roster.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be a big story if Brad wasn’t on the (first) list and we knew he was going to make the team,” said Canadian general manager Doug Armstrong. “But to remove one of those (other) 16 you’re sort of creating something that doesn’t need to be created. But he was on everyone’s roster right from the getgo.”
Marchand has been the most pleasant surprise for Canada at the World Cup, a seamless fit alongside Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron on the team’s top line. The 28-year-old, who signed an eight-year, US$49-million deal with the Boston Bruins on Monday morning, has rung up five points, including a pair of key goals in a semifinal win against Russia over the weekend.
Posting a career-high 37 goals and 60 points last season for the Bruins, Marchand didn’t want to discuss his new contract ahead of the best-of-three final with Europe, which begins tonight, preferring to keep the focus on Canada and their quest for a title.
The Halifax native will remain central to those efforts, his connection with Crosby and Bergeron causing fits for foes at the World Cup. Armstrong has been pleasantly surprised by how quickly “synergy” has developed between Marchand and Crosby in particular.
The Canadian captain set up both of Marchand’s goals against the Russians and had the second assist on his first goal of the tournament against the Czech Republic.
Familiarity between the two developed well before the tournament.
Skating alongside Crosby during the off-season, Marchand also attended the Pittsburgh captain’s annual late-summer camp with Bergeron, his longtime Bruins linemate. The duo joined a line with Crosby in what turned out to be a preview of things to come. Marchand said the experience offered him insight into how quickly Crosby processed the game and how best to react as a linemate.
“He just reads the game and executes at such a high level and so quickly that you do need to react a little differently,” Marchand said. “It did take a bit of time, but I feel like we’re getting a little more comfortable out there every day and things are going are all right.”
Crosby, who leads the World Cup in scoring with seven points, said the connection with Marchand and Bergeron (four points) has proven effective because all three worked hard to force turnovers.
“But I think just the way he competes every shift you know that he’s able to generate a lot sometimes from nothing,” Crosby said of Marchand over the weekend.