On Saturday, Florida Panthers left winger Brad Marchand took exception to an unwarranted cross-check from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.
Marchand tackled Dahlin, throwing haymakers as Dahlin crouched down and shielded himself from Marchand’s fists.
In and of itself, the dust-up wasn’t different than your garden-variety NHL scuffle. One guy decides another guy has gone too far, so he attacks him. We’ve seen it before, and we’ll see it again.
However, there is a little more to this because it was well after the two players were physically separated when Marchand took things to an embarrassing level.
After he entered the penalty box, it became clear on the broadcast that he was holding onto Dahlin’s helmet. Marchand then proceeded to rip apart the helmet with his bare hands. In response, Dahlin laughed and appeared to call Marchand a clown.
In this writer’s point of view, Dahlin wasn’t inaccurate in calling Marchand that name. This was a dubious act that would be comical if it weren’t such a stain on the sport.
Ultimately, Marchand’s petty tantrum didn’t do any damage to anyone other than himself and the game. Additionally, it cost Marchand $5,000 after the league fined him on Sunday for his actions.
Panthers’ Marchand Fined $5,000 For His Actions Against Dahlin And The Sabres
Brad Marchand received a $5,000 fine for his actions against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, attacking Rasmus Dahlin and vandalizing his helmet.
You don’t see nonsense like this take place in other professional sports leagues.
Imagine what would happen in pro tennis if one player destroyed all the tennis rackets of their opponent.
Think of the reaction in the MLB if a pitcher ran into his opponent’s dugout and started breaking all their baseball bats over his knee.
These are hypothetical situations, but it would be shocking if those leagues didn’t severely punish someone who degraded any notion of sportsmanlike conduct the way Marchand did in Saturday’s game against the Sabres.
Indeed, Marchand’s actions landed him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty – and the Sabres made him and the Panthers pay for it by scoring one of their goals in a 3-0 Buffalo win.
To add to the two minor penalties the Florida left winger received on the play, Marchand should’ve been hit with an additional delay of game penalty, as it took upwards of five minutes for Dahlin to find a helmet replacement that worked for him so that the game could resume.
You can make the argument that the situations can occur in a contact sport. But the truth is, what Marchand did doesn’t happen in the highly physical NFL. And if it did, there’s no doubt there’d be a major penalty handed out on the spot.
Therefore, Marchand should count himself lucky that all he got was a supplemental-discipline penalty that amounted to a financial pittance to him.
What’s most disappointing is that we thought Marchand was past these sorts of antics. We’re not saying he’d become a magnanimous ambassador for hockey. But these are the kinds of actions Marchand used to be known for early in his NHL career. And on Saturday, his behavior slipped backward in a way that does nobody any good.
At this point in his career, Marchand should know better. He can go after anyone he wants, but nowhere in hockey’s ‘code’ does it state it’s appropriate for one player to lose their marbles over a check – even if the check is borderline dirty.
In failing to show so much as a modicum of discipline, Marchand failed himself and the Panthers. If Marchand’s actions show anything, it’s that, after all these years of NHL experience, he can still be lured into taking hot-headed actions that ultimately hurt his team.
If he wants to be seen as a leader in Florida, he’s going to have to comport himself better than that.
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