Boston Bruins

By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com

Bruins winger Brad Marchand wanted to put on a show for Conor McGregor.

“He’s an incredible guy,” Marchand said. “Very energetic, but he was humble. He was very happy to be here, he expressed that, he was very engaged with everyone, he was a great person. It was an honor to meet him, it was great to have him here.

“The whole city enjoyed it, we enjoyed it, it’s something we will remember.”

And with the puck on his stick in a 2-1 overtime win over the Blue Jackets, Boston’s favorite pest found the perfect opportunity to give McGregor something to remember from his first hockey game, busting out the signature McGregor walk following No. 63’s game-winner scored against the Jackets’ Joonas Korpisalo.

“I was hoping to score just to do it, I knew that before the game,” Marchand admitted. “It’s not every day you have an icon like that in the room with that presence. I was just having a little fun with it.”

The goal also happened about 50 feet in front of McGregor, as the UFC star stood at the zamboni entrances throughout the third period and overtime, and was extremely animated with each B’s possession in the attacking zone.

And while it’s unclear if McGregor saw the Marchand celebration in full — he was jumping up and down like a maniac and pounding the glass as soon as the goal crossed the line — there’s no doubt he appreciated a fitting end to a night that began with him in the Boston locker room giving the Black and a Gold a pregame pump-up speech.

All in all, not a bad night for McGregor’s first NHL game.

Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has also been a voting member of the Boston Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter @_TyAnderson.

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