PHOTO BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand (63) and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrej Sustr (62), of the Czech Republic, battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Boston.
By STEVE KRAUSE
Idle chatter while waiting for the dove to fly back to me with the olive leaf …
Brad Marchand. What do we do about him? There’s no question he’s a talented scorer, a sparkplug, and a guy who the Boston Bruins absolutely need if they’re going to go anywhere.
And his schtick is getting old. Very old.
For those who may have missed it, Marchand speared a Tampa Bay Lightning player in the unmentionables Tuesday night in retaliation for a hard check in front of the net. He was rightfully given a five-minute major, which the Bruins killed off, and a game misconduct. He also faces discipline from the National Hockey League.
Whatever he gets he deserves. Let’s hear no whining about the penalty being too severe (if it is).
His suspension (and I suspect there will be one) is not the issue here. It’s his lack of discipline. Worse, it’s his lack of awareness of how important he is to that team, which means that he cannot keep doing these things. He’s no good to anyone if he’s not on the ice.
I remember an interview once where someone asked Phil Esposito why he never fights and rarely finds himself in the penalty box.
“Can’t make any money in there,” replied Esposito.
Right. That goes for Marchand too. If the Bruins have any chance of winning a playoff game — let alone a series — against the Washington Capitals (their likely first-round appointment), they need Marchand.
It’s funny. Most of the time, we’re kvetching about athletes who are convinced the sun rises and sets on them. Now, I’m wishing Marchand would actually think along those lines.
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Kristen McDonnell was the girls basketball coach at Braintree High, a school that has absolutely no relevance to the North Shore except for the fact the Wamps beat English a few years ago in a state semifinal.
But the team that won two state titles and went to the Boston Garden three other times in McDonnell’s tenure (which began in 2009) tells a pretty convincing story of her coaching abilities.
Yet, two days ago, she resigned. And while she didn’t come right out and say it, there’s plenty of scuttlebutt that parental interference was the impetus.
The sad thing is that if this is indeed true, it’s not an isolated incident. Helicopter parents have become a real problem in youth sports.
I’ve experienced a piece of it just in doing this job, listening to parents complain their kids aren’t being played enough, or, they’re not being used right. I once had a parent call me up and say I was costing his daughter a scholarship because of perceived lack of coverage on his part.
Sadly, even the best coaches reach a point where they say enough is enough and move on.
From all accounts, McDonnell was an innovative and creative coach who tried to make it fun, and tried to be as inclusive as possible considering you can only play five kids at a time.
All I can say is good luck to anyone these days who wants to coach youth sports.
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The Celtics got a true test of NBA reality Wednesday night at the Garden. The Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James made a resounding statement about what’s in store for them if the two teams meet in the playoffs.
The Cavs showed no mercy, and anyone who thought otherwise is just not paying attention. It’s obvious that a lot of these NBA teams are willing to sacrifice the gaudy regular-season records for fresh legs in the playoffs.
It’s one thing to lose to some Western Conference team if the objective of resting your stars is more important. But losing to the Celtics — the team that’s pushing you? No.
Message delivered. The Celtics will be a little less confident in the playoffs now.
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Memo to Craig Kimbrel of the Boston Red Sox: If I had a 98-mph fastball that moved as much as his does, and causes so many hitters to swing and miss (and look terrible doing it), I’d throwing that thing until someone proved he could hit it.
Or, as the immortal Lou Brown said to Rick Vaughn, “forget about the curveball Ricky. Give him the heater.”