Maple Leafs fanbase can be 'overwhelming for players'

Brad Marchand, not beloved in Toronto, believes the Maple Leafs fanbase and the media circus surrounding the team can sometimes be overwhelming for its players. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, the Boston Bruins star shared his perspective on the role of social media, growing the game and why many NHL players are wary of attention.

Video Transcript

KYLE CANTLON: --through your years of trolling and online endeavors, is there one fanbase, you feel, that has the biggest beef with you personally?

BRAD MARCHAND: Well, after-- I mean, I didn't realize how upset fans in Edmonton would get after this recent All-Star comment.

KYLE CANTLON: Yeah.

BRAD MARCHAND: Yeah, I was joking. I think the hunting in Edmonton is phenomenal. But, no, yeah. They seem to be pretty pa-- I think any time you have a Canadian fanbase, they're very passionate about their teams. So you're gonna catch a lot of heat.

Toronto fans are probably, I'd say, the most dominant fanbase in Canada. So they can get pretty overwhelming. At times, actually, it's even for the players, like, they-- the players get overwhelmed with how much media backlash and fan backlash they get at times as well.

So if their guys are getting sick of it, then sometimes, it can get a little overwhelming. But thick skin. It's all just social media. It's not a big deal.