Categories: Hockey

Bruins fans show love to emotional Brad Marchand in return

Oct 21, 2025, 08:21 PM ET

BOSTON — The Little Ball of Hate still has a lot of love back in Boston.

Brad Marchand appeared to be holding back tears on the ice when the TD Garden crowd gave him a standing ovation Tuesday night during his first game as a Bruins opponent. The 37-year-old forward tapped his heart, wiped his face and waved to the crowd as both teams banged their sticks against the ice and even the referee and each linesperson clapped along.

The last remaining member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, Marchand was traded to the Panthers last season for another chance at a title. He helped Florida complete its pursuit of back-to-back championships, while the Bruins plummeted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

In his first game back as a Panther, the Boston crowd cheered him off the ice after the pregame warmups, as the TD Garden DJ played a mashup of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Marchand responded with a stick salute as he headed off via the visitors bench.

Fans wearing Marchand’s Boston and Florida No. 63 jerseys cheered again during introductions for the former Bruins captain. (They booed when he drew a tripping penalty just 33 seconds into the game, then gave a mixed reaction when the Panthers scored on the power play — a goal that first appeared to be Marchand’s but was credited to Mackie Samoskevich; Marchand picked up an assist.)

But things got really emotional during a commercial break midway through the first period, when the scoreboard showed a highlight reel from Marchand’s time in Boston — including shots of him raising the Stanley Cup, and ending with him posing with the captain’s “C” that he wore for just one full season.

A four-time All-Star who had 422 goals and 554 assists in 16 seasons in Boston, Marchand remains in the Bruins’ top 10 for goals, assists, short-handed and overtime goals, playoff goals and points. His 1,090 games played is fourth in team history, one spot ahead of Don Sweeney, the general manager who dealt him to Florida at the trade deadline.

Marchand did play in the TD Garden as a visitor in February when he suited up for Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Although he was still a member of the Bruins, the Boston fans booed him.

He was traded to Florida a few weeks later as Boston sold off its roster and began a rebuild. But when the Panthers visited for the Bruins’ first home game after the trade deadline, Marchand was injured and skated on the Garden ice only in practice.

Source link

Lajina Hossain

Lajina Hossain is a full-time game analyst and sports strategist with expertise in both video games and real-life sports. From FIFA, PUBG, and Counter-Strike to cricket, football, and basketball – she has an in-depth understanding of the rules, strategies, and nuances of each game. Her sharp analysis has made her a trusted voice among readers. With a background in Computer Science, she is highly skilled in game mechanics and data analysis. She regularly writes game reviews, tips & tricks, and gameplay strategies for 6up.net.

Recent Posts

Mr. Iguana & La Parka Appear At WWE NXT, Halloween Havoc Match Made

The AAA influence was felt during the October 21, edition of WWE NXT, as Mr.…

5 minutes ago

Seth Rollins’ First Message After Being Stripped Of The World Heavyweight Title On WWE RAW

This week on RAW, Adam Pearce announced that Seth Rollins had successfully undergone shoulder surgery.…

26 minutes ago

Could Edge end up as Cena’s last opponent? Is Punk vs. Jey satisfying? AEW Saturday Morning Wrestling for kids? More! (77 min.)

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... SHOW SUMMARY: In this episode…

48 minutes ago

Jack Hughes authors third career hat trick as Devils cruise

Oct 21, 2025, 10:49 PM ETTORONTO -- Jack Hughes registered the third hat trick of…

59 minutes ago

Ballon d’Or favorite to Real Madrid bench: Vini Jr.’s tale of two years

It was supposed to be Vinícius Júnior's year. In 2024 Real Madrid's star forward had…

1 hour ago

Fiery Halloween Havoc Contract Signing Gets Physical During 10/21 WWE NXT

WWE NXTâ€s October 21 episode was quite a show, and it featured a big contract…

1 hour ago

This website uses cookies.