Bryan Marchment broke out into a sly smile when talking about the heavy hit he delivered on St. Louis' Lubos Bartecko the other night. It was the patented Marchment open-ice check, the kind that leaves teeth chattering, bones crunching and the victim wondering if anyone got the number of that truck.
This is the kind of thing that thrills Marchment no end.
``It's an adrenaline rush,'' the Sharks defenseman said, ``especially in the first shift. The crowd went nuts, it was great. I can't explain it, there's nothing like it. I would say it's better than sex, but my wife would kill me.''
Uh, we won't go there, so let's stick to the matter at hand. Marchment has had a major impact -- pun intended -- on the Sharks-St. Louis Blues Western Conference quarterfinal, a big reason why San Jose holds a 2-1 lead in the series heading into tonight's Game 4. After scuffling through an injury-riddled regular season, which saw him play just 49 games with often shaky results and be slapped with a three-game suspension for spearing Anaheim ace Paul Kariya, Marchment has been a steady force on the back line.
``He's at the top of the game,'' said Jeff Norton, Marchment's defensive partner. ``It's been a tough year, but he's beyond that now.
He really seems to play great in big games. He complements me well. Players give him more room (when he's on the ice), people are aware of him. You can see sometimes they're a little more hesitant. It makes you unsure (and can result) in turnovers.
``He makes them think. Every time he's on the ice, there's the possibility of that big hit. If you're not real careful, you're really going to get hurt. Bryan hits hard, and he's good at it.''
Opponents are on high alert because they would prefer to have all their limbs operational when their shift ends. Marchment had the Blues howling when he got a forearm up and leveled poor Bartecko in the series opener and no penalty was called. Marchment has yet to be penalized in the series and even scored a goal in the second game.
However, this isn't Bobby Orr. It's laying guys out that always was and always will be Marchment's specialty.
``Of course if he has a chance to hit you in the middle of the ice, he will,'' said Blues right wing Stephane Richer, an ex-teammate of Marchment in Tampa Bay. ``He finishes his checks.''
Marchment is particularly critical to the Sharks because he's the only hard-hitting defenseman they have. Norton, Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Gary Suter and Brad Stuart are all finesse types. Talented, yes, but no one runs and hides when they're around. With Marchment, it's different.
``You can't come across the ice with your head down,'' Sharks center Mike Ricci said. ``You do, you're going to get it taken off.''
Said Norton: ``Bryan brings something that really none of the other defensemen have. He can change a game with one hit, one shift.''
Marchment might not admit it, but he's glad to be cited for good all-around play to go along with the big checks.
``It's not about being flashy,'' Marchment said. ``I'm just trying to play physical and do the job of standing guys up. I've been fortunate in the first three games I've gotten a good hit early in the game. It doesn't always happen.
``It's harder for guys taking it (hard hits), mentally and physically, Some guys can take it all the time, a lot of times they can't. We have to be physical and disciplined and play within the rules. You don't play within the rules, it's going to hurt the team.''
It seems odd to hear Marchment, who's been suspended numerous times by the NHL for sundry nefarious acts and shredded the knee of Dallas' Joe Nieuwendyk with a blow the Stars still haven't forgotten, talking about ``playing within the rules.'' And the sight of him in an offensive mode is even wackier. This happened last Saturday, when Marchment joined the rush late and tapped in a shot past Blues goalie Roman Turek. Marchment has only two points in 38 previous career playoff games.
``I enjoy playing in this kind of series,'' Marchment said. ``This is what my style of hockey is. I'd like to be like this all year long. It's playoff time, this is what it's all about. I get (excited) just talking to you guys about playoffs.''
But it's those big hits that really get Marchment lathered up.