In our final regional matchup, we have two lower seeds advancing and squaring off. In the first round, we saw Brad's club hopping and rapping skills beat out his best Boy George and George Michael impressions. We also saw Brad's acting ability squeak out a victory for a local hockey retail chain over a recurring faux-sitcom written and produced by the B's themselves. It's the final Excellent 8 showdown in today's edition of...
Round Two: Off-Ice Antics
3. Marchand Works Retail at PureHockey
Before Patrice Bergeron showed up to wow the children with his CCM skates, Brad Marchand was hired as an energy line sales associate, appearing in a series of commercials for hockey retailer PureHockey. Still early on in his Bruins career--these were released during the fall following the Cup run in 2011--it was one of the first times we saw Brad's charisma off the ice, as he slowly started to become one of the faces of this most recent Bruins era. Thankfully, he didn't quit his day job, as Brad finished that season with 28 goals and 55 points, both still career highs.
Also, as a bonus feature, here's some behind the scenes clips.
4. Brad Loves Tyler, & the 2011 Cup Celebration
While the Summer of 2011 became the Summer of the Cup for the Bruins, it was more of a Summer of Sleepless Nights and Bromances for Brad Marchand. We got full exposure to Brad and his off-ice personality in the direct months following the Starley Cup champianship. The most notable public act was probably during the duck boat parade itself, in which Marchand didn't so much speak at the rally as he did drunken ramble and then rap the only part of a Wiz Khalifa song I think he knows.
Soon after it was obvious to all of us that Brad also took a liking to something else that summer. That something was Tyler Seguin. From the nights at various clubs, to the staged photoshoots, to the impromptu selfie shoots, Brad and Tyler were such besties. I don't really know if Brad has recovered since, to be honest. But he's still here, and we still know what he's capable of. Hopefully, we'll be able to see what he does with a 2nd Stanley Cup sooner than later. I imagine he'd take Krug under his wing and show him the ropes of how to party like a heartthrob properly.
So will it be Brad in front the camera and on the stage? Or Brad in front of the camera, dancing on a bar? Actor Marchand and Party Marchand battle, and you decide who makes it to the Finite Four!