How 4 Nations Face-Off Will Put Brad Marchand In Weird Spot

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand usually knows what will come his way when he plays at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

A heavy dosage of boos will get thrown in Marchand’s direction as he’s viewed as public enemy No. 1. But Marchand is in for a different experience when he steps onto the ice at that venue Thursday night.

Marchand is representing Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off, giving fans north of the border an opportunity to cheer him on instead of rooting against him. But Marchand still has his doubts that will happen even if he’s wearing a Team Canada jersey.

“Well, we have not seen it yet, so it may not happen. You know what I mean? They might cheer for the team, but doesn’t mean they’re cheering for me,” Marchand told reporters Monday, per Parker McLean of Black N’ Gold Productions. “It will be great. I think that’s the great thing about Canada is when you’re cheering for Team Canada everybody comes together and rallies behind that. It will be short-lived, but I’ll enjoy it while it last.”

Marchand is on a stacked Team Canada roster, which features stars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby. So, perhaps Marchand can blend into that star power.

Team Canada opens the tournament Thursday night against Sweden. Canada will play one more game at the Bell Centre, which comes Saturday night against the United States, before the setting shifts to TD Garden in Boston for the final games of round-robin play and the championship bout.

That also could put Marchand in a unique situation. He’s made a home at TD Garden after playing 16 seasons there with the Bruins, but he’ll be wearing enemy colors, especially if Canada meets the United States in the final.

But will those fans at TD Garden turn on him just because he’s on Team Canada? It remains to be seen.

“Maybe we can corrupt the crowd,” Marchand said.