Brad Marchand has picked up his social media activity over the last couple weeks, which is something we should all be thankful for just for the sheer entertainment value.
First he took aim at Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck, suggesting that comparing Trocheck to himself was “like comparing a Lambo to a Prius.” Then he took a shot at the entire Hurricanes organization, responding to one of the team’s tweets by saying Carolina is one of the franchises whose financial struggles force players to pay more into escrow.
Last week, Marchand turned his sights on Edmonton, responding to a post about upset Oilers fans throwing jerseys onto the ice by saying those fans will be the reason that stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will eventually want out of Edmonton.
On Thursday night, it was the Arizona Coyotes’ turn. Responding to the report that the Coyotes are working on a deal to use Arizona State’s new 5,000-seat arena as a temporary home for the next three or four years, Marchand tweeted, “Well… the only way they get 5000 fans at their games now is if they give 4500 away for free so wouldn’t change much”.
The Coyotes, whom the Bruins play Friday night in Arizona, have been in search of a new home since the city of Glendale announced that it would not renew the team’s Gila River Arena lease when it expires after this season. The team has proposed plans for construction of a new arena in Tempe, but the project has not been approved yet.
The 5,000-seat capacity at Arizona State’s arena, which is set to open for the start of next season, would be by far the lowest capacity of any NHL arena. Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre currently has the lowest at 15,294. The Coyotes are averaging 11,575 fans per game this season, the third-lowest attendance in the NHL ahead of only Ottawa and Buffalo.
After the Coyotes blog Five For Howling criticized Marchand for mocking the team’s fanbase instead of its ownership, Marchand had a fairly simple retort.