25 athletes everyone hates (unless they’re on your team)
![BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 3: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stays loose on the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 3, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) BUFFALO, NY - DECEMBER 3: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots stays loose on the sideline during NFL game action against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field on December 3, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5e6f96318803bfdab29175d4135d688cc81031796dcf56c4831f446334b7b9e3.jpg)
Brad Marchand
“The rat.”
That’s one of many nicknames given to Brad Marchand over the years. The nickname works on many levels. First, Marchand is a pest on the ice. He’ll hit you, he’ll jab you, he’ll stick you, he’ll kiss you, he’ll lick you. He’ll also score on you and the lift an imaginary Stanley Cup in front of your bench to throw salt in the wound. It also works because Marchand would definitely snitch if pressed. Finally, he has a ratty face that you just want to punch and kill.
Personally, I’m not a Bruins fan, but I love Marchand.
In hockey, you’re allowed to fight, which is cool. But maybe five perfect of post-whistle scrums turn into fights. It’s mainly a lot of trash talking and glove smelling. We always laugh at players for getting face-to-face or forehead-to-forehead but never doing anything.
Marchand has no problem licking the guy in his face. He’s like a child on the ice. You know when your friend or sibling puts their hand over your mouth to get you to stop talking? At least once in your life, your response has been to lick the hand of your sibling/friend. Your friend/sibling is immediately grossed out. For some reason, humans hate when other humans lick them, but have no problem letting a dog lick their face all day. Humans brush their teeth. Dogs eat their own poop.
Marchand is a child.
It’s endearing.
It’s annoying if you’re the guy on the other side of Marchand’s tongue. His child-like qualities are even more annoying when he scores that backbreaking goal to eliminate your team from the playoffs.