Put a mic in front of Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand and entertainment is bound to happen.
Nobody seems to know that better than the “NHL on TNT.”
Marchand has been a pre- and postgame guest on the show in recent seasons, including winning the inaugural Mr. TNT award — given to a player or coach who brings the “best personality” to the show — for the 2022-23 season.
The Bruins star took it to another level this season with his comical feud with analyst Paul Bissonnette. The two have constantly gone back-and-forth at one another, throwing hilarious chirps, like Marchand ribbing Bissonnette for a brawl he got in last month. Marchand’s comebacks to Bissonnette’s playful digs have easily gone viral.
Marchand’s quick-wit in those situations makes him a natural fit to be on TNT’s studio show once his playing career concludes. It’s a thought that crossed his mind as well.
“I haven’t thought a ton about it. It’s come up a couple of times more recently because of the interactions with Bizz,” Marchand told MassLive’s Matt Vautour. “I would be way more interested in doing something like that where guys are having fun. I don’t have a ton of interest in sitting down and just being serious on a panel. I like having a good time and the friendly banter and they do a really good job with that.
“So that would be something I probably would be interested in some capacity down the road. Hopefully it’s a long ways down the road. But the way that it’s going and how much fun they seem to have, it’s definitely something that I would be intrigued with.”
Marchand’s Bruins teammates see his personality up close in the locker room on a daily basis. Perhaps he could put that to good use as a coach instead once he’s done playing as he was behind the bench in the recent Bruins Alumni game. But Charlie McAvoy, like Johnny Beecher and Jeremy Swayman, feels Marchand definitely has the chops to transition into the media game once he hangs up his skates.
“He’s got the personality for it. That’s for sure,” McAvoy told Vautour. “I know he’s got a good relationship with those guys. He might be setting the table for his next act. He’d be hysterical. There’s nobody better at the jabs and the chirps. They might be worried to give him a microphone.”
Marchand at the moment is solely focused on his job with the Bruins. The 36-year-old is having a solid campaign in his 16th NHL season, tallying 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in 33 games.
It’s unclear how much longer he wants to play — Marchand is an unrestricted free agent following this season — but it’s evident he can still contribute on the ice.
That might delay his jump into the media world. But it shouldn’t be a surprise if Marchand gets multiple calls from several media outlets once his playing days are over. TNT struck entertainment gold with Marchand, and it’s clear to just about everyone.
