Vancouver Canucks forward Brandon Prust has no regrets over his spear on Boston Bruins pest Brad Marchand, telling reporters the $5,000 fine he received was the “best money I’ve ever spent.”
The spear to Marchand’s groin came with under two minutes remaining in a game the Canucks were trailing 4-0. Prust was given a 10-minute misconduct.
Prust would also say Marchand did well to draw the call, and that he wasn’t surprised to have received discipline.
“I kind of thought that’s what would happen, I mean it wasn’t that hard and he sold it pretty good,” Prust said. “I saw him laughing on the bench after so I don’t think he’s too hurt.”
Prust is in the final year of a four-year $10-million dollar deal signed with the Montreal Canadiens in the summer of 2012.
He knows Marchand well from his time with the Canadiens and is now on a team that has its own (recent) bitter rivalry with the Bruins.
Marchand is actually having a great season. He’s seventh in the league with 13 goals.
He scored the opening goal against the Canucks and was in a good mood after the win.
While there is much animosity between the two players, and their respective teams, Prust denies that this was a pre-meditated attack.
“(It’s) just frustrations, happens out there I wasn’t really trying to injure him,” he said. “I was just coming back because the puck was coming back up the boards.
“On my swing by I got my stick active.”
