"My mom likes to say that I came out of the womb 'mischievous'": When Brad Marchand opened up on origins of his pesky character that divides NHL fans

Next year will mark 20 years of Brad Marchand’s professional career since he was selected in the 2006 NHL draft. However, while he has tried to steer away from his "pest" narrative by developing a more offensive style later in his career, it is expected to stay forever. In 2018, he cleared the air with an article on The Players' Tribune.

Marchand described his early life and junior career. The Bruins forward developed his physical playing style while still in school. His father, Kevin Marchand, a former professional hockey player, also had a reputation for taking penalties and getting into fights.

Marchand also explained that it was essential for him to develop that attitude. At 5-foot-9, he has always been outsmarted in terms of physical built, so he had to become a "pest." It earned him his opponents’ respect, and many of them didn't like playing against him.

Marchand's playing style landed him several high-profile fights and suspensions for illegal hits. In heartfelt statements, he explained that without his tactics, he would never have been noticed, made it to Boston and become a legend.

“My mom likes to say that I came out of the womb 'mischievous,'” Marchand wrote. "I just liked the feeling of messing with other kids. I liked getting under their skin and making them react. There’s a lot of people out there in the hockey world who love to say, 'Winning is everything. It’s the only thing.'

“But do they really mean it? How far are they willing to go? Maybe it was my size, or just the way I was born, but I’ve always felt like you have to be willing to do anything — literally anything — in order to win. Even if that means being hated. Even if it means carrying around some baggage. If I played the game any other way, you absolutely would not know my name. I was meant to play for this city. I believe that.”

Brad Marchand reminisced about winning the Stanley Cup with Bruins in 2011

Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand also talked about the special moment of winning the Stanley Cup against the Vancouver Canucks in the 2010-11 season. In a postseason where he already scored 19 points, Marchand scored seven more in the final. It included five goals that were crucial for the team to win the physical battle.

“I’ll never forget after we beat Vancouver in Game 7 to win the Cup, we flew back to Boston with the Cup, and as we stepped off the plane all the fans were lined up waiting for us, going crazy," Marchand wrote in 2018, via The Players' Tribune. "One of the police officers came up to us and said, 'The city is yours. Enjoy it.'”

While Marchand has ended his Boston Bruins tenure, he continues to be a strong figure, recently leading the Panthers over the Leafs in the Eastern Conference semis.