Brad Marchand never wanted to leave the Boston Bruins. If the former Bruins’ captain and current Florida Panthers’ star had it his way, he would have never suited up for another team in his NHL career. Unfortunately, the NHL is a business, and general manager Don Sweeney ultimately decided that getting assets in return was better than risking Marchand walking for nothing with extension talks at a standstill. Ultimately, this led to his trade to the Sunshine State. Tuesday, Marchand will make his return to Boston for the first time as an opponent, taking on the team that drafted him in the third round back in 2006.
The 37-year-old winger signed a six-year contract extension with the Panthers last offseason and hasn’t missed a beat this season, scoring three goals and six points in seven games. When speaking with media on Monday, Marchand didn’t shy away from giving away heartfelt answers to all questions that were thrown his way.
Inside Marchand’s Emotional Ties to Boston
When asked about returning to the TD Garden, Marchand revealed that he was excited, but also unsure of how he’ll handle it emotionally.
“I think I’m just excited about it. I’m just gonna try to enjoy it,” Marchand told the media. “I don’t really know what to expect emotionally; I think the closest I got to being on the other side was being here for Team Canada against Team USA. Even that was a little bit different, I would say, in the way that I felt, but I’m just excited about it. It’ll be fun to be back here, it’ll be fun to play the Bruins, it’ll be fun to play against teammates and I have friends and family in the building again.
These are things down the road that I think I’ll really appreciate. There’s been enough moments that I went through and I didn’t take it in enough or appreciate it and this is one I want to make sure I do.”
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When asked by media what he’d say the best thing about Boston is, Marchand didn’t hesitate for a second when giving his response.
“The fans for sure, hockey-wise,” said Marchand. “The city’s incredible. I’ve lived in a bunch of different areas around here and the city’s incredible, but the fans make it awesome. They’re just very unique. Some of the stories and things I have seen fans do, a lot of them aren’t PG rated in like playoff runs and stuff like that, it’s so special and so unique to this area.”
He’d continue by mentioning the high expectations placed upon Boston sports teams by the fans and why it’s an excellent motivator.
“All the way down, they bleed Black and Gold. That’s part of why I think there’s so much pressure on the team to have success and why they focus on it so much. You can’t slip. You don’t have the ability to slip in this city or you’re going to hear about it. We wanted to produce and be good for the fans and live up to that reputation, so it makes it special to play here.”
Marchand’s Lasting Legacy in Black and Gold
During his time with the Bruins, Marchand played the fourth-most regular season games in franchise history (1,090), fourth in goals (422), sixth in assists (554), fifth in points (976) and is the leader in short-handed points, recording 59 during his tenure with the team. In the playoffs, Marchand was just as good for the Bruins. He’d rank fourth in postseason games played (157), first in goals (56), third in assists (82), and second in points (138).
Marchand remains the Bruins’ most recent captain, as the team hasn’t appointed a successor since his trade last season. Though the team does have a leadership group in place, no single player can match the impact Marchand had on the roster.
To say that Tuesday night will be emotional in Boston would be an understatement. The bond between city and player, between fans and the human underneath the uniform, will never be broken. Marchand may play for the Panthers, but he’ll forever be a Bruin.
