Boston Bruins
Marchand Wants Reporter Fired for Lies About Bruins and Pastrnak
Rich Keefe, co-host of Jones & Keefe on New England’s WEEI suggested that there may be an issue between Bruins’ Pastrnak and Marchand.
This morning a Boston-based radio host shared his opinion on what he thought was wrong with the Boston Bruins. Rich Keefe, co-host of Jones & Keefe, is in hot water with the organization and the players after he did more than suggest that there may be an issue between David Pastrnak and captain Brad Marchand. He called the team a “disaster” and said Pastrnak refused to play on a line with Marchand.
More than a few players from the Bruins commented on the “false” report, but Marchand’s backlash was the most scathing. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic tweeted, “We may only be days into 2025, but this is the interview of the year.”
Late this morning, Pastrnak spoke out and refuted the report. Now, just a few hours ago Marchand met with the media and shared his thoughts on the matter.
Marchand Speaks on the Blatant Lies About the Bruins
Marchand is known for speaking his mind, and that is what he did when he met with the media on Friday. He noted that he wasn’t going to address the reports at first, but he also said he didn’t want the comments, as made up as they were, to take on a life of their own. Marchand wanted to make sure he squashed any suggestion of a problem between the two best friends.
Marchand noted:
“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 to the team, and usually, you try to be fact-based.”
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js? Brad Marchand addressed the media following today’s #NHLBruins practice in Florida: pic.twitter.com/vPFfHM1fRv
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 10, 2025
Marchand was visibly not happy about the “blatant lies.” The fact that this reporter will still have a job after that is something he isn’t thrilled about. If it had been social media, Marchand said he wouldn’t have cared. But, because this was a more prominent platform on the radio where fans might mistakenly believe whatever they heard, he felt the host had a greater responsibility to be accurate.
He made sure to mention that he and Pastrnak are best friends and that their families are close. The main reason they aren’t playing together, as per Marchand, is to “spread depth down the lineup.”
While the captain did admit that the Bruins’ poor play may have contributed to a false story being easier to buy into, he also said there was no problem in the room at all. Marchand closed off the interview by saying what many fans of the NHL and Bruins are calling a legendary quote:
“I’m not gonna let it become something that it’s not, so this guy can go pound sand… go back to the closet where no one knew where he was before… and report on nothing because that’s what he’s gonna be doing after this.”
Marchand Being Praised for His Leadership
As mentioned before, he is known for speaking his mind. Not only was this the right thing to do to stop an Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller situation from happening, but he also stood up as the captain of the team and shut this down before it truly did affect the locker room.
Marchand has done some questionable things in his career—some that have made most NHL fans question why the Bruins even named him captain. However, it is moments like this when you truly see what it takes to be a captain in the NHL.
Next: Pastrnak Refutes Report Of Off-Ice Issues With Marchand
