There will be no on-ice niceties for Jeremy Swayman and Charlie McAvoy (Team USA), Brad Marchand (Team Canada), and Elias Lindholm (Team Sweden).
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MONTREAL — It’s business over brotherhood for the next two weeks.
Four Bruins have turned in their Black and Gold sweaters for their country’s colors as the inaugural
4 Nations Face-Off kicks off here before shifting to Boston on Monday.
For
Jeremy Swayman and
Charlie McAvoy (Team USA), Brad Marchand (Canada), and Elias Lindholm (Sweden), there will be no on-ice niceties.
“When you put that jersey on for Canada, there are no friends on the ice, and they will feel the exact same way. I can put any amount of money on it, that if Chucky gets a chance to run me, he’s going to run me,” said
Marchandfollowing Canada’s Tuesday practice at Bell Centre. “So that’s part of playing for your country. You do whatever it takes, sacrifice whatever you have to, to win. We’ll be doing that, they’ll be doing that, and then that’s part of what makes [international] tournaments so hard to win and why the pace elevates so high, because guys are willing to leave it all out there.”
Lindholm acknowledged it was a bit weird when he and Marchand bid adieu at the airport shortly after arriving Sunday.
“[Brad and I] were on the same flight here and before we jumped into the cars, we shook hands, gave a hug, and a ‘good luck, see you in a couple of days,’ ” Lindholm said following Sweden’s practice.
They’re hardly alone when it comes to the suspension of niceties.
International tournaments are where friends become foes and foes become friends.
Guys you’ve been battling with for playoff position are suddenly guys you’re battling against for net-front position.
For the last few postseasons, the Bruins have watched McAvoy try to punish Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk during some memorable series. Now the trio, which bonded during their time with the National Team Development Program, are back together in the Red, White, and Blue.
“We all have a very, very good friendship,” McAvoy said. “The three of us from our time together in Ann Arbor and we all hit it off and I consider those guys to be two of my best friends in hockey and no matter how many times we’ll play against each other — and it’s a battle and there’s no love out there — you don’t miss a beat once the game’s over and once it’s done, it’s very quickly back to being friends again.”
Marchand said he’s had good conversations with teammate Sam Bennett, who
knocked the Bruins captain out for two-plus games in last year’s playoff series when the Panthers forward landed a right to Marchand’s jaw in Game 3.
Marchand said, “bygones are bygones,” and labeled Bennett “a good dude.”
Sure,
trades happen, and free agency always wreaks havoc with rosters, but those transactions have some sense of permanency. For this tournament, the new-found love and new-found hate is temporary.
“It’s definitely going to be mixed feelings for sure. I think even here playing on the same team, there’s a lot of guys in our division here on this team kind of chasing you a little bit in the standings,” said Lindholm. “So, I think honestly there’s a little bit of different feelings. You’re kind of excited, but at the same time you see the same guys in the same locker room, and you try to be buddies for a little bit, but then you have to kind of go back to normal. So, it’s definitely a little strange but I mean I’m excited at the same time.”
Swayman said he’s pumped for the challenge of competing against Marchand, a player he’s faced myriad times in practice but never in the heat of a game, a time when Marchand thrives. Marchand specializes in getting under the skin of opponents — particularly goalies.
“You understand what he likes to do and what makes him so good. And that’s something that he’s perfected over his career and I’m excited to play against it,” said Swayman. “I’m excited to see how he is when he’s not on [my] team because as Bruins, we love him on our team, and he’s notorious for being hated. So, that’s something that I’m looking forward to. And at the same time he’s my captain, so I’m going to give it right back to him. And I know [McAvoy] is going to do the same. And all of our teammates. We’re on a team and so everyone else is the enemy. We’re going to make sure that we’re doing what we can to win games and compete.”
I'm also a fan of Travis Konecny, and am happy for him earning a spot with Team Canada.
