"There's a lack of accountability nowadays because people can't handle the heat."
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery caught plenty of flak over the weekend after cameras caught him ripping into team captain Brad Marchand on the bench.
During the third period of Saturday’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club, Marchand committed a costly turnover high in the offensive zone with two Utah skaters draped over him.
Utah went down the ice and scored following the turnover, tying the game up at 1-1 at the time.
Utah’s goal was eventually overturned following an offside review, but Marchand’s infraction still drew a fiery response from his head coach on the bench.
Right after Utah lit the lamp, Montgomery tore into Marchand on the bench for his miscue, giving him a slight shove on the shoulder after getting his message across.
Montgomery’s retort against his captain drew plenty of reactions over the last few days, especially with Boston stumbling out of the gate with a 3-3-1 record.
But speaking on Thursday morning, Marchand backed up his coach.
“People are very sensitive these days,” Marchand said. “And it’s unfortunate how coaches are scrutinized over things like that. There’s a lack of accountability nowadays because people can’t handle the heat. You make a mistake like that, you deserve to hear about it.
“I’m glad that he said something about it. If he didn’t, we would have much bigger issues. The fact that that’s something that we’re talking about is disappointing, but that’s the way things are today.”
Montgomery also addressed his interaction with Marchand on Thursday, stressing that there doesn’t need to be any instances of clearing the air with his captain moving forward.
“Between Marshy and I, there doesn’t need to be a conversation,” Montgomery added. “Him and I are both emotional people. I’m not ecstatic with myself about it, but I don’t think about it afterwards, and neither does he. He’s a pro. He’s a great player that does so many good things for us, and he has high expectations as well. So for us, that’s over and done with.”
Montgomery noted that Marchand’s seniority and ability to take candid criticism immediately made him a prime candidate for Saturday’s outburst. Boston’s bench boss has not been afraid to call out several of his star players over the last year.
He harped on how David Pastrnak needed to “step up” going into Game 7 of the team’s first-round series against the Maple Leafs in May.
Pastrnak did respond by scoring the series-winning goal in overtime against Toronto, while Marchand (zero goals, four assists over seven games) will look to get rolling on Thursday night against the Dallas Stars.
Even though Montgomery noted that Marchand is a player who can handle the heat on the bench when things go awry, the 36-year-old forward stressed that every player in Boston’s dressing room should be held to the same standard.
“There’s an accountability that needs to be held in this room, and nobody’s absolved from that,” Marchand said. “I made a really bad mistake at a bad time in the game, and that’s something that’s not acceptable and shouldn’t have done to begin with. … I expected to hear about it, not only from him, but a bunch of guys on the bench too.
“So I should be held accountable in that situation. I’m glad that he did.”
