Brad Marchand hoping to hear a little love from Bruins fans in his return to Boston
Brad Marchand is bracing for an emotional night back in Boston on Tuesday. It will be the first time Marchand takes on the Bruins as a member of the Florida Panthers.
Marchand spent the first 16 seasons of his NHL career with a Spoked-B on his sweater and did some incredible things for the Bruins. He helped the team win a Stanley Cup in 2011 in his first full season in the league and instantly became a fan favorite for his knack for scoring big goals and getting under the skid of the opposition. Marchand potted a lot of game-winners (82 in the regular season and 13 more in the playoffs) and short-handed goals (36 to lead all active players) for the Bruins, and helped the team make two more trips to the Stanley Cup Final He also served as Boston's captain for two seasons.
But GM Don Sweeney embraced a full rebuild at last year's NHL deadline, and traded Marchand (a pending free agent) to the Panthers just before the trade buzzer sounded. Marchand went on to help the Panthers win the Stanley Cup over the summer, and signed a six-year extension to remain in Florida during the offseason.
He's been back to Boston since the trade, but Marchand is expecting to get a bit emotional before the puck drops at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
"It'll be hard not to," he told reporters Monday. "There's too many memories and I was here too long for it not to."
The emotions will be a lot different than the last time Marchand was at TD Garden with the Panthers. His first return came just a few days after his trade to Florida, but Marchand was still nursing an injury at the time so he didn't play. Not lacing up his skates that night gave him a chance to say farewell to some of his former teammates in Boston.
"Last year was kind of a weird timing, a few days after being traded. It was a bit of a tough time," said Marchand. "I didn't see anybody before I left, so it was nice to come back and say goodbye to everyone. I was pretty happy I wasn't playing in that game.
"But I'm excited to play in this one. It will be fun to compete against guys I played with for a long time and be on the other side of it in here. I'm sure it will be an intense game. It will be fun to play in front of the Bruins fans again," he added.
Marchand hopes to hear some cheers from Bruins fans
As far as what kind of reception he'll receive inside TD Garden, Marchand is hoping to hear some love from Boston fans. But he understands if it ends up going the other way.
"I'm sure it's going to be tough for some people. They won't be able to cheer because I know they don't like the Panthers very much," said Marchand. "But maybe they'll like me enough to give it a little 'Yay!' out there or something.
"I think there will be a little love there. Maybe if I do something good," he said. "Or if I do something bad they'll boo me pretty quick. They're pretty passionate here but maybe they forgot me already and will treat me like any other player."
Considering Marchand has his fingerprints all over a Bruins Stanley Cup, odds are he'll get a pretty good ovation during introductions. But once the game gets going, the "Little Ball of Hate" will probably hear plenty of jeers and heckles from his former home fans.
No matter their reaction, Marchand said Monday that the city of Boston is "incredible" and the passionate fanbase is a big reason why.
"All the way down, they bleed black and gold. It's part of why there is so much pressure on the team to have success," he said. "You don't have the ability to slip in this city or you're going to hear about it.
"It makes it special to play here," added Marchand.