Brad Marchand dethroned as the NHL's most hated player.

For many years Boston Bruins agitator Brad Marchand has been widely regarded as the most hated man in the National Hockey League. That title was bestowed upon Marchand after many years of questionable behavior on the ice earned him a less than sterling reputation around the league, but unfortunately for Marchand no king can rule forever.

It would appear that Marchand is no longer the most hated man in the NHL and we know this thanks to a recent player poll published in The Athletic that asked "Who’s the player in the league whose face you most want to punch?" Marchand would see himself dethroned by a landslide in the poll that saw 147 votes from his fellow NHL players. Marchand would receive just 14.97% of the total votes in the poll which saw him come nowhere close to recapturing his crown, but it was still good enough for second place.

So who is the man that unseated Marchand from his throne?

The title of the most hated man in the NHL now appears to belong to Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins, with Cousins taking a whopping 28.57% of the total votes on his way to a clear spot at number one. It is perhaps no surprise to some that Cousins now finds himself atop a list of this nature, given the sheer number of dirt plays he has been involved in as of late.

Just recently former NHL player Kevin Bieksa put Cousins on blast during the intermission of an NHL broadcast, and if he is willing to be so vocal about his feelings towards Cousins you can bet that many of his fellow players feel much the same way.

If you're curious about how some of the other players ranked, here is how the Top 5 breaks down:

1. Nick Cousins (28.57%)
2. Brad Marchand (14.97%)
3. Matthew Tkachuk (7.48%)
4. Michael Bunting (4.08%)
5. Conor Garland (4.08%)