With Charlie McAvoy already suspended for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Bruins are now facing the possibility of being without Brad Marchand as well.
Marchand was a late addition to the team’s injury report early Thursday, but not because of any physical ailment.
It turns out Marchand suffered from a lack of sleep the night before.
“It’s the craziest thing,” Marchand told reporters. “Someone sent me this book in the mail called ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’, I started reading it, and it scared the bejeezus out of me.”
“I flipped through the pages, and it seemed ridiculous, but then when it came time to go to sleep I couldn’t.”
Attempts to learn who sent the infamous book to Marchand have so far been unsuccessful.
Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said Marchand woke him up because he thought there was a ghost in his hotel room.
“I had just dozed off,” Cassidy said, “then suddenly I hear a banging on my door.”
“It was Brad. He was all like ‘Coach there’s a f***ing ghost in my room!’ and shaking like a Maple Leaf. I tried to calm him down, but he wasn’t having it. He wouldn’t go back into his room.”
Cassidy said that he had no choice but to inject Marchand with a tranquilizer to get him to settle down.
“My God, he wouldn’t shut the f*** up about it. He told me the ghost was crying ‘bloody fingers, bloody fingers’ or some s***,” Cassidy explained. “So I pumped him full of horse tranquilizers and he finally piped down.”
“Unfortunately it was at 6 am at that point, so I don’t know for sure if that will allow him enough time to rest up for tonight.”
Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour said the team would be prepared regardless if Marchand suited up.
“We didn’t make it this far just to worry about one guy,” Brind’Amour said. “We’ll be ready.”
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled for 8 pm Thursday at the TD Garden in Boston.
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