Brad Marchand was happy to be the All-Star Game villain

It’s no secret that Brad Marchand isn’t a popular guy in hockey circles outside of Boston (and maybe parts of Nova Scotia).

This weekend, Marchand had the unique opportunity to appear at the All-Star Game while currently suspended. Throw in the fact that the game was in Tampa, who saw Jake Dotchin take a spear to the groin from Marchand back in April, and the reception was even chillier than usual.

The best part? Marchand hammed it up as the villain, playing up his role and seeming to have a good time in the process.

He got to wave to his adoring fans:

He even thanked them for being so supportive:

He posed for a picture with some friends:

And even had a good-natured response to his performance in the Accuracy Shooting competition:

It’s no secret that Marchand is among the least-liked players in the league outside of his home city. However, instead of pouting and having a bad attitude, he seemed to relish playing the role of the villain and enjoy the good-natured ribbing from the fans.

After all, as an All-Star chirper himself, he has to be able to take it as well.

While it’d be better for him to, you know, stop getting suspended and stuff, it was good to see him take the reaction from the hostile crowd in stride and create some funny moments with the fans in attendance.