Brad Marchand has a big fan in one of his idols - The Boston Globe
The summer before the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Marchand, a 25-year-old hopeful, golfed at a Team Canada function with Martin St. Louis.
“I don’t think I said a word to him,” Marchand said of St. Louis, who won the Art Ross Trophy the year before that, one of two in his Hall of Fame career. “I was so star-struck by him. He was incredible.”
He’s becoming smarter and smarter every year,” St. Louis said. “Protecting the puck is an art. He’s got the skills to protect it in some weird situations. It’s so much fun to watch.”
St. Louis, who retired in 2015 with 1,013 points (28th all-time among wingers), was a master of creating space for himself amid towering checkers. He used a long lance of a stick — as does Marchand — and a lower body so strong some called him “Quadzilla.” His mind was just as critical.
“There’s not much room out there now,” St. Louis said. “He knows when it’s time to play fast. He knows when it’s time to slow it down. He knows where everyone is on the ice. He knows his exits out of the corners. And all that’s processed well before he touches the puck.”