Brad Marchand did his best Russell Westbrook impression in an interview after the Boston Bruins clinched their series with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night, but there’s actually a reason for it. Marchand was interviewed by Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after the Bruins beat the Blue Jackets 3-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final. He gave very brief answers and did not seem too interested in engaging in the interview:<doc-sep>The interview between Kyle Bukauskas and Brad Marchand was colder than the ice they were standing on. (Twitter//@hockeyfights) As petty as it was, Brad Marchand finally exacted his revenge (if you want to call it that) against Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas. Marchand was interviewed following Boston’s 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 6 of its second-round series to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, and the result was an exchange of questions and short, cold answers that left many viewers quite confused. Brad Marchand, a man of many words. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/rNJgGhc9JI — hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) May 7, 2019 That’s a total of ten words out of him after three questions. Considering the interview was following a series-clinching victory, most of Twitter let out a big, collective WTF. Why was Marchand doing Bukauskas like that? What did this poor, innocent man do to deserve such icy answers from the Bruins star? Although I haven’t had the time to crawl into Marchand’s head and attempt to find the exact answer, I have a feeling that it may have something to do with their last interaction ahead of Game 2 in Boston. Let me remind you, this was only a couple days after Marchand stomped on Cam Atkinson’s stick late in Game 1: No problem, here's the video pic.twitter.com/SyzLYARylS — Jeremy B (@JBSpeed) May 7, 2019 Was Bukauskas’ question that caused Marchand to skate away tongue-in-cheek? Very much so. Was it appreciated by him? Clearly not. But did this — and all of the flak that he received from the media following his punch to the back of Scott Harrington’s head — deserve this response? That’s up to you. However, did Marchand have to do the interview when asked? Definitely not. So, no matter what you think about their history, you have to respect Bukauskas’ professionalism while he was being painted into a corner. Story continues Marchand’s string of short answers wasn’t only reserved for the Sportsnet employee, though. He continued providing members of the media with few words after his (brief) time on live television. Marchand was TALKATIVE in the locker room, as well. pic.twitter.com/HTyFC1TGPC — Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) May 7, 2019 According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnson, who was in the dressing room at the time of the scrum, Marchand was asked 19 questions and used a grand total of 39 words to answer them. With the Bruins moving one step closer to the Stanley Cup, who knows what the next chapter of Marchand versus the media has in store. More NHL coverage from Yahoo Sports<doc-sep>Share this Story: Stu Cowan: Bruins' Brad Marchand cementing his legacy as NHL jerk Stu Cowan: Bruins' Brad Marchand cementing his legacy as NHL jerk If he was looking to embarrass Sportsnet's Kyle Bukauskas on TV, the only people he really embarrassed were himself, the Bruins and the NHL Photo by Charles Krupa / AP Article content Don Cherry has called the Carolina Hurricanes a “bunch of jerks” but the biggest jerk in the NHL playoffs is Brad Marchand. The Boston forward proved it again during his postgame interviews Monday after the Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 in Game 6 to win their Eastern Conference semifinal series. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Stu Cowan: Bruins' Brad Marchand cementing his legacy as NHL jerk Back to video In an on-ice interview with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas, Marchand went into full-jerk mode. Marchand didn’t do anything as serious as licking Bukauskas’s face or punching him in the back of the head — stuff he has done to opponents before during the playoffs. Marchand simply decided to act like a jerk — a role he seems to enjoy — with very short answers to all of Bukauskas’s questions. Asked by Bukauskas about the Bruins not panicking in the last three games after falling behind 2-1 in the series, Marchand said: “We did a good job.” Photo by Charles Krupa / AP Asked about the opportunity that lies ahead for the veteran Bruins core: “It’s been fun.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “So I can see where this is going here,” Bukauskas said before asking one last question about Marchand’s linemates. “We’re good,” Marchand responded before quickly skating off. “Thanks,” Bukauskas said. “Well, that was worth it.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content The interview went viral on social media and there were suggestions Marchand was upset at Bukauskas for a skate-sharpening reference in an earlier interview after the Bruins forward intentionally stomped on the stick of the Blue Jackets’ Cam Atkinson in Game 1, breaking it. When asked about the incident the next day in a media scrum, Marchand joked: “I think he was trying to dull my blade there. Send me to the room, get it sharpened. It’s kind of rude of him to do.” During an on-ice interview before Game 2, Bukauskas jokingly asked Marchand: “Did you manage to get your skate re-sharpened after Thursday?” Marchand was visibly upset by the question and blurted out a “yeah” before skating away. Some on social media used Bukauskas’s question about the skate as the reason why Marchand acted the way he did after Game 6 on national TV. But Marchand continued to act like a jerk with other media members later in the locker room, using 19 words to answer 39 questions with a silly smirk on his face the whole time. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Dealing with the media is part of an NHL player’s job and league rules mandate it as part of selling the game to fans. Marchand has every right to answer — or not answer — questions however he chooses. But you have to wonder what he’s trying to prove. If Marchand was looking to embarrass Bukauskas, the only people he really embarrassed were himself, the Bruins and the NHL. Bukauskas, 25, is a rising star at Sportsnet, as humble as he is talented, and handled himself like a polished veteran. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Reached at his home in Ottawa on Tuesday, Bukauskas said the Bruins had told Sportsnet before Game 6 that Marchand was good to do a postgame interview if Boston won and there wouldn’t be any issue. “So we asked for him and then what happened, happened,” Bukauskas said. “It was completely out of our control, but it obviously still caught a lot of people by surprise and it caught the Bruins by surprise, too, because — as I said — they had told us that it would not be an issue if we were to interview him after the game in a Bruins victorious setting like last night. “It’s his prerogative to answer questions the way he wants to,” Bukauskas added. “It didn’t bother me any. I did what I could and when it was over it was over and done with and now we get to move on, hopefully.” Response from Bruins GM Don Sweeney when asked by reporters Tuesday in Boston about Brad Marchand's post-game interviews with Sportsnet's @SNkylebukauskas and others following Game 6 victory Monday night in Columbus: pic.twitter.com/hM0sfuxpK2 — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) May 7, 2019 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content As for the earlier question he asked Marchand about his skate, Bukauskas said: “It was a risk on my part to go there 30 minutes before a game and to try to playfully bring that up again. I only brought it up because it was him who had said it. You could tell he didn’t like the question and he skated off. Again, totally fine. That’s totally his right to do. “Immediately I felt bad about it because the way he reacted, I went: Well, maybe did I cross the line there? Did I go too far in that situation? I did not intend to offend him or put him in a bad spot or make him look bad in any way. I realize I took a risk and I learned from it kind of knowing that was probably not the right time to ask the question that I did. So it was a good learning experience for me in that sense.” Bukauskas said he approached the Bruins the next day, saying he would like to apologize to Marchand and explain himself, but was told there was no problem. Marchand is a great hockey player — when he’s not being a cheap-shot artist. But when Marchand hangs up his skates after his career, I think many fans will remember him more for being a jerk than a great player. Maybe he wants it that way. scowan@postmedia.com twitter.com/StuCowan1 Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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As you’re all surely aware by now, there was a little incident involving Brad Marchand on Monday night that has a lot of outrage-seekers frothing from their keyboards because the Bruins forward was a little short during his post-game interview. Here’s the clip — which gloriously features Marchand using only 10 total words to answer three questions from Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas — that has so many feeling Extremely Mad Online today. Brad Marchand, a man of many words. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/rNJgGhc9JI — hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) May 7, 2019 What prompted the usually-outspoken Marchand to be so quick and cold in his exchange with Bukauskas, you ask? No. 63’s theatrics appear to be revenge of sorts for a bit of a snarky question (but clearly a playful one) the rink-side reporter snuck in ahead of Game 2 just a couple days after Boston’s star forward was caught stomping on Cam Atkinson’s stick late in Game 1of the Bruins-Jackets second-round series. And it wasn’t just Sportsnet’s rink-side reporter who fell victim to Marchand’s trolling, as a scrum loaded with local Boston personalities and national outlets were also given the cold shoulder by the rat master following the Bruins’ Game 6 victory. Marchand was TALKATIVE in the locker room, as well. pic.twitter.com/HTyFC1TGPC — Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) May 7, 2019 So, yeah, that’s it. That’s what all the fuss is about. Surely you were expecting more based on the reaction this has gotten, but I am here to inform you that no one died, got physically hurt or suffered any mental or emotional damage because a hockey player decided to cut a couple interviews a little short. Marchand did not kick the poor reporter’s puppy, or insult his family, as far as we’ve been informed. Story continues Before getting into it a little more, let’s preface with this: It can be both. You can think Marchand is a jerk but still see where he was coming from in his (lack of) responses. You can commend Bukauskas for handling the whole situation like the pro that he is, and still be of the opinion that he was at least a little out of line in trying to be funny and snappy prior to a crucial playoff game. Kyle is a top-notch reporter and handled everything with a grain of salt and a sense of humour, something all you heroes trying to defend the reporter’s honour from Marchand’s wrath could learn from. This isn’t that serious. In case you aren’t quite aware of the fuss this has caused — mostly among some media members and bunch of Maple Leafs fans, if we’re being honest — then a quick Twitter search of “Marchand” will paint a lovely picture of the online outrage bubbling over this whole situation. Rather than pulling up each response for you, here is a summation of the backlash: Brad Marchand is immature and not at all clever. Only one person in that interview acted like a pro, and it wasn’t Marchand. He’s a total jerk and an embarrassment and disgrace to the NHL. Marchand should be suspended for being a tool. (Seriously.) Feeling bad for Bukauskas because he’s such a nice guy and a hard worker. Oh how DARE Brad subject him to that type of trauma. Kyle should ask 90-second questions next time he interviews Marchand to make him stay longer as a punishment! (What?) It gets a lot worse, but I’ll stop there and let you find the more R-rated posts for yourself. Though I really don’t agree with any of the backlash, I respect that we all have the right to think whatever we want of Marchand just as he has the right to answer questions in any way he sees fit. He does have somewhat of a duty to be “professional” with the media — a sentiment Boston’s GM reluctantly echoed for the sake of trying to put the situation to bed — but he also shouldn’t have to be subjected to bad questions without being able to come back with bad answers. Response from Bruins GM Don Sweeney when asked by reporters Tuesday in Boston about Brad Marchand's post-game interviews with Sportsnet's @SNkylebukauskas and others following Game 6 victory Monday night in Columbus: pic.twitter.com/hM0sfuxpK2 — Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) May 7, 2019 So, you’re still upset about all of this. Well, what are you going to do? Force Marchand to have a word count on his answers going forward?