Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery is fed up with rival teams continuously using alternative captain David Pastrnak and captain Brad Marchand arbitrarily.
Following the Boston Bruins’ 5-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings to end the 2023 season, Montgomery voiced his unprompted criticism of league officials for allowing rival teams, including the Red Wings, to target Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak with infractions that ought to be penalized.
Montgomery, meanwhile, is displeased with the officials’ lack of protection not just for his players but for all NHL stars. He also mentioned the mistreatment that three-time Hart Trophy winner and forward for the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid, has had.
Montgomery said, “I do believe that we need to safeguard the stars in our game. “I think the league needs to pay attention when players are being cross-checked and other things happen after whistles.” We’ve observed it with [Connor] McDavid for a number of years. He scored a lot of points last season, but in the previous years, they let opponents trample him in the postseason. This league is all about great skill, so you don’t want to take away players like McDavid, Pastrnak, or Marchand.
Montgomery blamed the brawl that followed the Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie’s punch against Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot at 11:23 into the first period on the officials’ failure to uphold the standards set for players such as Pastrnak.
Yes, that is one of its functions, Montgomery remarked. “That all began with someone bodying ‘Pasta,’ and there was no issue with physical contact; however, we want to clear that up when the number of shoves increases and there’s no legitimate cause for them.”