Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Brad Marchand twists the knife against Tkachuk brothers, Team USA after Canada’s win
"Sometimes, when you shoot your mouth off to the media, it bites you."
Brad Marchand found himself in an unfamiliar spot within the bowels of TD Garden Thursday — his stall planted within the arena’s visiting locker room.
But that change of scenery meant little to the Bruins captain — not when his new surroundings were showered with champagne and other libations.
For the first time in his career, Causeway Street was hostile territory for Marchand — who skated as a bottom-six regular for Team Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
And given his propensity for embracing whatever jeers and chirps are sent his way, it comes as little surprise that Marchand relished the opportunity to celebrate with his fellow countrymen following Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over Team USA in Boston.
“It’s hard to describe,” Marchand said of winning another title with Canada. “These moments are so few and far between. The amount of work that goes into something like this. Like, it doesn’t start this year. It didn’t start last year. It started 36 years ago. And you don’t ever expect to get to a level like this.
Advertisement:
“You really don’t ever dream of getting to a level like this. … Those are the things that not only you remember forever, but your family remembers forever, and the entire country remembers forever. This game, this tournament’s gonna be talked about for a long time, and you really can’t describe how much it means.”
Marchand finished the tournament with one goal in four games. He logged 12:23 of ice time in Thursday’s victory, drawing boos from the TD Garden crowd whenever the puck was on his stick.
While his role has shifted some since his heroics at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the veteran winger added plenty of sandpaper to Canada’s roster — a necessity against a bruising USA roster.
Advertisement:
“We know as Canadian players, the only outcome that is acceptable is a gold medal,” Marchand noted. “So we don’t come into the tournament hoping to get to the finals, hoping to get to the medal round. It’s gold or bust.”
Marchand’s knack for delivering verbal barbs on the ice carried over to the podium on Thursday, with the veteran landing a few digs at Team USA power forwards Matthew and Brady Tkachuk after both wingers provided plenty of soundbites over the last week.
While Marchand stressed that the raising temperature of the political climate surrounding both the US and Canada did not hold weight in this tournament, some of Team USA’s musings into the microphone sure did.
“I mean one thing — I don’t ever think that politics should be in sports,” Marchand said when initially posed a question about whether President Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments about Canada served as motivation. “I don’t think that’s what sports is about.”
Marchand then pivoted to the Tkachuks — who have served as familiar foes for Marchand and the Bruins over the years.
“The Tkachuk brothers, they play their game, they do what they do. Sometimes, when you shoot your mouth off to the media, it bites you,” Marchand noted. “You can do that during the season, but when you’re playing best-on-best, it’s different, you know? And they got a little bit ahead of themselves.
Advertisement:
“But they’re great players. There are not many guys in the league that do what they do, and they’re extremely effective. But when you start giving teams ammo, it can work against you as well.”
The Tkachuks rankled a few feathers in Canada’s dressing room after Team USA’s win on Saturday in Montreal — especially in regard to their postgame comments about their three scraps within the first nine seconds of play.
“The message we wanted to send is, ‘It’s our time right now,’” Matthew Tkachuk said of the rationale behind dropping the gloves on Saturday — with both brothers admitting that they planned those fights alongside J.T. Miller via the team’s group chat.
That sparked additional salvos between both Matthew Tkachuk and Canada forward Brandon Hagel — who fought Tkachuk off the opening faceoff on Saturday.
“We’re out there playing for the flag, not the cameras,” Hagel said Tuesday, per NHL.com. “That’s the part of Canada we have in [the dressing room]. We don’t need to initiate anything. We don’t need any group chats going on. We’re going out there playing our game, giving it everything and, like I said, doing it for our country.”
Advertisement:
“Maybe their team doesn’t like each other then if they don’t have group chats,” Tkachuk responded Wednesday. “That’s just a player enjoying his opportunity. I think that our team does not care about anything that they say.”
Marchand and Team Canada might have had the last laugh against the Tkachuks, but the Bruins captain also offered a stick tap to a USA roster that will look to exact some revenge against Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
But in expected Marchand fashion, even those compliments cut deep for a USA team still looking to break through against its North American foe.
“I said it’s the best team that we’ve ever played against,” Marchand said of his previous comments about this Team USA roster.
“I didn’t say the best team ever,” he added.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com