goldrush posted:

Marchand is a douchebag but he's an effective player. He's what known as a "pest" or an "agitator". He gets under the skin of opponents because of his borderline-legal playstyle - questionable hits, trashtalking, taunting, embellishment, and general antics of the sort. However he's also skilled at putting up points and perhaps throwing opposing players off their game. That's what people mean when they say they hate him but he's the kind of guy you want on your side.


With all that said, I'm a Canucks fan so I generally think Marchand is a straight-up dickface and his other talents don't matter because gently caress that guy. He's fundamentally a bad person, whereas Alex Burrows (perhaps Vancouver's answer to Marchand) is at least a likeable person off-ice (here's when a Bruins fan says I'm butthurt).

Players like Claude Lemieux, Esa Tikkanen, Steve Ott, etc. are some more examples of this type of player. Universally hated until they're on your side.

PS: You should be proud that you are a new hockey fan but ashamed that you are a Bruins fan half-joking