BOSTON — Brad Marchand had mischief in his eyes as the interview started.
Before the Bruins game against the Penguins on Black Friday, Marchand was the pregame guest on “NHL on TNT.” The Boston forward was waiting for an opening and when Paul Bissonnette asked him an innocuous question about the change in the team under Joe Sacco, he pounced.
“Thanks Bizz, bit of a boring question from you. Thought it would be a good one,” Marchand said.
Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand smiles during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)AP
The Bruins captain was the inaugural winner of the Mr. TNT trophy for “simultaneously being the most valuable to your team and the TNT broadcast” in 2022-23.
“Valuable to the TNT broadcast” is more than just playing well when the game is on national TV. Marchand has been entertaining while mic’d up on games and brings the PG version of his on-ice chirping to his interactions with the studio hosts.
Bissonnette teased Marchand about his hairline and Marchand jabbed back with a reference to Bissonnette getting worked over by six thugs outside and Arizona restaurant.
The verbal volley started a six-day story arc. Before the Bruins Dec. 4 game at Chicago, TNT produced a skit designed to look like NHL Player Safety Videos announcing Marchand had been suspended from the 2025 Mr. TNT competition by the Department of Broadcast Safety. They later “reinstated” him when he scored two goals against the Blackhawks later that night.
Marchand used to be the player that opposing fans simply hated because of his ability to get himself under their skin and get the puck behind their goalie. But now he’s become a player that fans still hate on the ice, but enjoy in spite of themselves off it.
TNT Sports has unlocked the formula of creating a fun pregame studio show that’s actually worth watching. Their NBA show hosted by Ernie Johnson and highlighted by Charles Barkley became the gold standard, but their NHL show has found its legs and is really connecting with audiences.
It’s partially thanks to Bissonnette, who was a hardly memorable player with seven goals in 202 career NHL games over seven seasons. His gregarious charisma has made him a celebrity in his post-playing career. The 39-year-old hosts the popular Spitting Chiclets Podcast and fills a similar role to Barkley’s on TNT Hockey.
“I really like where TNT has taken things. It’s very entertaining to watch and they did such an awesome job like that with that segment there the other day,” Marchand said. “It just creates a lot of buzz around the game and that’s obviously one of the things that we want — to grow the game and they’re doing an incredible job with that.”
Marchand has become a show favorite and one of the few players, who can match chirps with Bissonnette. At 36, Marchand is in no hurry to hang up his skates, but when he does, could the guy who got a TNT trophy someday draw a TNT paycheck?
Marchand’s teammates could picture him someday joining Bissonnette and crew on the TNT desk.
“Some of the guys were talking about it the other day,” Johnny Beecher said. “He’s obviously got a huge personality that people love.”
Jeremy Swayman thinks having Marchand on TV would be good for hockey.
“He’s got the personality for it. That’s for sure. I know he’s got a good relationship with those guys. He might be setting the table for his next act,” he said. “He’d be hysterical. There’s nobody better at the jabs and the chirps. They might be worried to give him a microphone.
Marchand has usually used his quick wit to deflect any time anyone asked him about his career beyond playing. But the idea of being on TNT someday held some interest.
“I haven’t thought a ton about it. It’s come up a couple of times more recently because of the interactions with Bizz,” Marchand said. “I would be way more interested in doing something like that where guys are having fun. I don’t have a ton of interest in sitting down and just being serious on a panel. I like having a good time and the friendly banter and they do a really good job with that.
“So that would be something I probably would be interested in some capacity down the road,” Marchand added. “Hopefully it’s a long ways down the road. But the way that it’s going and how much fun they seem to have, it’s definitely something that I would be intrigued with.”
