Bruins’ Brad Marchand’s Shares View On Fan Engagement In Social Media Age
BOSTON — Last week, Bruins captain Brad Marchand unleashed a fiery response to a report claiming there are major issues in Boston’s locker room.
Former Bruins player and current NESN analyst Andy Brickley said on “The Hockey Hub” podcast that he had not seen any indications that the report was true. He also added that the locker room is the players’ “sanctuary.”
Today, thanks to social media platforms like X, Instagram and YouTube, media (and fans) have a little more access to professional athletes’ lives — on and off the ice, field or court.
“I think that comes with the territory a bit,” Marchand said before the Bruins’ Black and Gold Gala on Wednesday night. “Growing up, I couldn’t have imagined having a look at my favorite players’ lives and the things that they do in the room and off the ice and who they are as people.
“There’s obviously a fine line where we want to have some privacy, too, and want to be able to go about our lives and live as normal people. Enjoy time with our family and friends and do the things that everyone else wants to do and not get hounded for it. But, there’s an aspect that is what is expected from fans, and there is a fun side to that, too. It’s great to be able to connect with fans.”
Marchand added that it doesn’t stop with the fans. He enjoys getting to see how other players across the league enjoy their free time as well.
“It interests me to understand what other guys are like and who they are as people,” he said. “You have a view of them on the ice. I’m the perfect example. I’m a different person off the ice, and it’s great for fans to be able to see that and have a different perspective of who we are as people and what our interests are. It’s part of the territory.
“It’s only going to grow and continue. People are going to get more and more of an insight into what our lives are like. … What you want to share in your personal life is up to you. I think there’s a line between the expectation that we have to show our lives at home. If you want to be private, we do have that right as well.”