During his time in the NHL, Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand has never been shy to share his opinions with the media.
And though he’s usually commenting on his opponents or teammates, Marchand targeted radio host Rich Keefe for his comments earlier today on Jones and Keefe after Boston’s sixth consecutive loss.
“The locker room is a disaster, and David Pastrnak is at the centre of that. David Pastrnak has told the team he doesn’t want to be on a line with Brad Marchand, and it may stem from Brad Marchand calling out Pastrnak for some of his play throughout the year,” Keefe said in a segment on the New England-based network WEEI. “Pastrnak may be your best player, 60-goal scorer, all that stuff. Also, the main reason why it is a disaster inside the locker room… Pastrnak does not want to play with Marchand.”
Scoops @Keefe21 :
“The locker room is a disaster, and David Pastrnak is at the center of that. David Pastrnak has told the team he doesn’t want to be on a line with Brad Marchand, and it may stem from Brad Marchand calling out Pastrnak for some of his play.”😳
Yikes. pic.twitter.com/GeZg7sw05B
— Jones & Keefe (@JonesandKeefe) January 10, 2025
Meeting with the media a few hours after the clip circulated widely on social media, Marchand was rather incensed with Keefe’s claims, even questioning if he should remain employed.
“I’ve heard what was said in the media this morning. It’s unfortunate. I know reporters have a job to do, and that job is to report on the team, usually, you try to be fact-based. When there’s just blatant lies told in the media, that’s where there’s a problem. The fact that this guy has a platform and he’s just making stuff up is embarrassing,” Marchand said.
“There’s zero truth to anything that he said on the radio. This is how you lose your job. The fact that he’s going to have a job after this is insane. Pasta and I are best friends. We’ve had an incredibly close relationship together for a long time… there’s zero truth to him being a problem in the room. He’s one of the most loved guys in the room… it’s a completely fabricated lie. This guy has zero merit to anything he’s saying.”
🎥 Brad Marchand addressed the media following today’s #NHLBruins practice in Florida: pic.twitter.com/vPFfHM1fRv
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 10, 2025
Pastrnak and Marchand have been Bruins teammates for 11 seasons, playing 672 regular season games and 88 playoff contests. The Bruins currently occupy the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card spot, but sit just one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, who have one and two games in hand, respectively.
“This is what happens… we have not pulled our weight this year, we have not had the season we’ve wanted to have. But I’m not gonna let some guy come into the media and spit absolute random nonsense. This guy has zero credibility. The fact that this guy is coming out with this is ridiculous, it’s embarrassing, and anything he puts forward in the future is not going to be deemed as truth because he’s completely just making all of this up… if he would’ve fact-checked, he would’ve found out that it’s all nonsense,” Marchand added.
“I’m not gonna let it become something it’s not. This guy can go pound sand and go back to the closet where no one knew he was before and report on nothing because that’s what he’s going to be doing after this.”
Pastrnak also commented on the reported rift.
“I’ve never in my life said I don’t want to play with this guy to the coaching staff or management and I never would,” Pastrnak said. “I love playing with Marchy. I’ve been playing with him for so long.”
Despite the lengthy rant from Marchand, Keefe didn’t seem to recant his reporting.