Brad Marchand comes clean about his pesky antics on rookie Connor Bedard

Back in October last year, the Bruins' newly appointed captain once again stole the show and generated mixed reactions on social media for his antics toward Connor Bedard.

Brad Marchand has been known as a pest for the majority of his career due to controversies and his antics on the ice.

Bedard, the No. 1 pick for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 draft, faced the Bruins in his second NHL career game at TD Garden. Though the Hawks lost the game, Bedard managed to rack up his first career goal in the process.

In one sequence of the game, Marchand pulled Connor Bedard and tried to guide him to Boston's bench while dragging him. Nevertheless, Marchand has now come clean on his antics at Bedard.

On Pat MacAfee's show, Marchand said that it was just a little box-out moment between him and Bedard, and there was nothing more to it.

"That's just a little box out. There's not a whole lot going on there," he said.

Connor Bedard shares his thoughts about battling Marchand

Many hockey fans described the encounter with Marchand as a "Welcome to the NHL" moment for the rookie; however, Connor Bedard didn't quite see it that way (via MassLive.com):

“No, I don’t think so. It was a pretty brief moment. Obviously I took a penalty out if it,” he said after the game. “What makes him so good is how slippery he is, and obviously I kind of tripped him, I guess. But I don’t know. It’s just part of the game and I don’t know if that was kind of the moment I would say it was the welcome to the NHL.”

Since scoring his first goal in that game against the Bruins, Bedard has emerged as the leading scorer for the Blackhawks. Moreover, with 33 points (15 goals and 18 assists) in 38 games, he also leads all rookies in scoring this season.

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How has Brad Marchand fared for the Boston Bruins this season?

Pittsburgh Penguins v Boston Bruins

Following the retirement of Patrice Bergeron, the Boston Bruins, in September 2022, announced Brad Marchand as the franchise's 27th captain.

The 35-year-old has been in great form for the Bruins. This season, he's notched up 35 points through 15 goals and 20 assists in 37 games, making him the club's second-leading scorer after David Pastrnak (53).

The Bruins are currently at the top of the Atlantic Division with 52 points. They're coming off a 6-5 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the recent matchup. Brad Marchand and the Bruins face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.