Brad Marchand's Comments About The Toronto Maple Leafs May Surprise You
Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand shared some surprising praise for the Toronto Maple Leafs' performance this season.
As someone who has faced the Leafs 55 times in the regular season and 28 more in the playoffs, Brad Marchand has one of the best experiences in their heated rivalry.
Brad Marchand on the Toronto Maple Leafs
And he did not hesitate to vocalize what he thinks about it.
"They're an extremely good team this year. They've been building for a while now and have really kind of figured out the right way to play, the way they stick up for each other, compete for each other. They're a different brand of hockey right now."
From physical clashes to trash-talking, Brad Marchand's have often fueled the rivalry, which dates back to his first playoff encounter with the Leafs in 2011, but there's now some rumors of him being a Leafs.
In those 28 playoff games against Toronto, Marchand has scored 29 points and is showing his ability to shine when it counts which includes his eight points in last year's first-round series.
The change in the Leafs style and attitude under Craig Berube is evident and they've adopted a grittier, more team-oriented approach which is very different from their past reputation for skill-heavy but inconsistent play.
Toronto sits tied for first in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers but is holding the edge with an extra game in hand.
Meanwhile, the Bruins are in third place, closely trailed by Tampa Bay, who hold five games in hand and with one more regular-season meeting on February 25, the rivalry could take center stage again in the playoffs.
A potential postseason clash would reignite the intensity of one of hockey's most electrizing rivalries.
