Brad Marchand on goals, Halloween costumes, Boston fan love (Puck Daddy Q&A)

Since the start of the World Cup of Hockey, Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand has scored at a prolific rate. No matter the setting, no matter the team or linemates, Marchand has figured out a way to put points on the board the last several weeks

The agitating winger started the season with for Team Canada where he was the designated sniper on the top scoring line with Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron. Marchand finished that tournament with five goals and eight points in six games. One of these goals was the tournament clincher.

Since then, he has continued to torment opposing defenses with three goals and six assists in four games with the Bruins. In his first game of the season, the 5-foot-9 Marchand notched five points.

“I think it has been fun. I’m definitely feeling good right now on the ice and feel confident to make plays,” Marchand said in a recent phone interview with Puck Daddy. “But I think a lot of it is preparation and I think I’ve just learned how to prepare myself for each game and I’m confident when I go on the ice.”

Marchand is one of the NHL’s more interesting players. He’s a pest who turned himself into an elite scorer with 37 goals last season, up from a prior career high of 28 in 2011-12.

As prime years for players around the league seem to keep dropping to earlier in their careers, the 28-year-old Marchand has improved as he has gotten older. The Boston Bruins lavished Marchand with an eight-year, $49 million contract announced during the World Cup.

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We asked Marchand about his hot start, playing with Crosby, playing in Boston and Phil Kessel getting the ‘Brad Marchand Treatment’ from President Obama during a trip to the White House.

Q: Did you ever get tired of hearing ‘We Dem Boyz’ (Canada’s goal song) during the World Cup? It felt like it was on loop the whole tournament.

MARCHAND: If it was playing, it was a good thing so I enjoyed every time it came on we had some fun with it.

Was it ever stuck in your head? Like did you want to make it your ringtone?

That’s a song that brings back a lot of memories. That was also our goal song at the World Championships this past year and that’s part of the reason we had it at the World Cup. It brings back good memories so I enjoy it every time it comes on.

There was a point during the World Cup when you were at a news conference and were asked about possibly going to the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent. Two days later you signed a long-term deal with the Bruins and pointed out you knew you would return to Boston for a while. Did you ever want to use that moment to just shut down the rumors?

It made it a little more entertaining for me knowing that all this stuff was coming out. I knew that at the time the deal was going to get done with Boston so I was having a good chuckle with it and a good time, but I would have liked to have shut it down at the time so there wasn’t any pressure on the team or myself where people were pushing for me to leave or anything like that, thinking I was going to leave. It would have been nice to shut it down, but I had a little bit of fun with it.

Did you think of not having the contract announced until after the World Cup? You seemed to take that tournament seriously and that could have been a distraction.

There was but there’s also risks for both teams in a situation like that and it’s not something you’re able to do. It was also something that was kind of looming over my head and it was a lot of attention being brought towards the fact that I hadn’t signed and there were a lot of people asking me about it all the time, so I decided to get it done and get it over-with and kind of shut the door and not have to talk about it anymore. That way the main focus and all my focus was completely on the World Cup and there was nothing kind of hanging over it. The contract at times was and there were people talking about it and that’s the last thing I really wanted to be talking about when I was at that event. It was such a special time and I worked so hard all summer and I didn’t want anything to take away from that. Being there was a dream come true. I was just happy to have it done.

You, Bergeron and Crosby seemed to have such good chemistry. Have you two pushed for Sid to come to Boston?

(Laughs) We’re still lobbying Sid to try to get him to Boston. It would be great to have him on the team. He’s obviously the best player in the world. There’s no chance Pitt would ever move him but we’re still going to push him to see if one day he’ll come try it out.

Did you do any different training over the summer? I’m sure made some changes for the World Cup, but you seem to have taken another step forward in your game.

Not really. I trained the same way. I think it’s more of having a month of the high intensity at the World Cup helps a ton and going into the season you’re already in mid-season form so I think that has a lot to do with it but I think it’s a bit of progression over the years where I’ve been trying to work on my game and become a better player and it’s starting to come together a little bit.

Are you noticing a lot of guys have come back from the World Cup playing better than guys who didn’t go?

I think we’re all feeling pretty good. Again when you play at a high level like that you don’t need a few games to get back into it. Normally to start the season the first five or six games you’re still getting your rhythm back and your timing and conditioning and everything so we’re kind of past that already. Guys are feeling confident again because they played at such a high pace and this is a bit of step down from that so guys are able to read and react a little quicker than maybe they would at this time of year and they’re feeling pretty good.

What’s your confidence level like? It seems like everything is going in for you right now.

I think it has been fun. I’m definitely feeling good right now on the ice and feel confident to make plays, but I think a lot of it is preparation and I think I’ve just learned how to prepare myself for each game and I’m confident when I go on the ice.

What are your expectations for this season? You scored 37 goals last year. Is it 40 goals? Is it 50 goals? Also what are your team goals?

Just more, that’s the best way to say it. I want more of everything. The goal every year is to come in and be better and I want more for our team. We want to get back to the Cup and to win that and that’s the goal every year for every team. I think it’s whoever wants to put more into the season and whoever wants to sacrifice more that gets there and hopefully this year we’re all willing to do that and get back there and things go right. When you win the Cup, you need everything to line up. You need to get lucky, you need guys to stay healthy, you need guys to play well at the right time. Hopefully it all lines up for us. That’s what we’re hoping for and hopefully it all comes together.

There’s always slumps in a season. How do you limit those and did last year help you learn how to stop slumps before they become too damaging?

I think the biggest thing is I try not to think about it too much. You want to stay even-keel. When you get too high, when you get too low, that’s when things tend to go wrong. There’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs and you’re going to have to roll with the punches. I’m going to try to work hard and play the way the coach and team wants me to play and hopefully things go well.

What did you think of Phil Kessel getting the ‘Brad Marchand Treatment’ from President Obama at the Penguins’ White House visit? As an athlete, is it nice that the President prepares a bit for these events to make them more personal?

Ed note: In the Bruins’ White House visit, President Obama called Marchand a “little ball of hate.”

I think it’s great he’s acknowledging guys and giving them that kind of recognition. It’s a very big stage for him to say something like that and guys pour their hearts out and lay their bodies on the line and go through a lot to win the Stanley Cup so every bit of recognition they get, every benefit, everything that comes out of it, guys deserve. It’s the hardest trophy in the world to win and when you get it you deserve everything that comes with it.

Did you at least get a chuckle out of it? Did guys talk about it at all?

Not really. I didn’t hear a whole lot about it. I kind of saw it in passing one day but Phil’s a good hockey player and he had a good playoff so you have to give him credit.

What’s it like being a pro athlete in Boston?

It’s a lot of fun. It goes both ways. When things are going well you’re loved by all and treated extremely well but if things aren’t going great they let you hear about it and it shows their passion and desire for teams that do well and it’s good because it makes you hold yourself accountable and your team accountable and pushes us to be better. It’s great that the fans are – they’re the best fans in the world. We love being here. Every guy that comes to Boston loves it and a lot of guys I talk to want to remain here. Even if they leave they want to come back and live here. I can never say enough good things about Boston.

Is there anything fans have done in Boston for you that sticks out?

There’s a lot of things fans do just to show you appreciation. I’ve had cakes and dinners and stuff sent to my house. Just saying congratulation or thank you. It could be after a random game where we did well and fans just want to show their appreciation. It’s great to see and when you’re out and about, fans always let us know how much they enjoy watching us play and care about our team, so it’s great to be here.

How did they get your address?

I have no idea. Just shows they can find it somehow.

It’s Halloween season. Do you have any costumes planned?

I’m just trying to figure it out now actually. I went as a Mad Hatter last year. It was a pretty good costume and a Ninja Turtle the year before. I have to come up with something good.

What about the yearly team Boston Children’s hospital visit?

I know what I’m wearing there, but I don’t know what I’m going to wear for my Halloween party.

Do you know what Zdeno Chara is wearing for the hospital visit? The rabbit a few years ago scared a lot of people.

It scared most of the guys on the team too, but I don’t know what he’s going as. He doesn’t have many choices for costumes. Not many costumes fit him.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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