The “Little Ball of Hate” Receives Love in Boston
Brad Marchand, known for his intensity on the ice, experienced an emotional return to the TD Garden, where he was cheered by the Boston fans.
Marchand, visibly moved, held back tears as the crowd gave him a warm welcome. The 37-year-old player put his hand to his heart, wiped his face, and greeted the fans, while both teams and the referees applauded.
The last remaining member of the Boston team that won the Stanley Cup in 2011, Marchand was traded to the Panthers last season. He helped Florida achieve consecutive championships, while the Bruins fell in the Eastern Conference standings.
In his first game back as a Panther, the Boston fans applauded him after the pre-game warm-up, while the TD Garden DJ played a mix of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. Marchand responded with a stick salute as he headed to the visitors’ bench.
Fans wearing Marchand’s number 63 jerseys, both from Boston and Florida, cheered him again during the introductions of the former Bruins captain. (They booed when he received a tripping penalty 33 seconds into the game, and then reacted with mixed feelings when the Panthers scored on the power play, a goal that initially appeared to be Marchand’s, but was credited to Mackie Samoskevich; Marchand got an assist).
The emotion reached its peak during a commercial break in the middle of the first period, when the scoreboard showed a summary of Marchand’s highlights in Boston, including images of him lifting the Stanley Cup, and ending with him posing with the “C” of captain that he wore for a full season.
Four-time All-Star, with 422 goals and 554 assists in 16 seasons in Boston, Marchand remains in the Bruins’ top 10 in goals, assists, shorthanded goals and overtime goals, playoff goals and points. His 1,090 games played are the fourth-highest figure in team history, one spot ahead of Don Sweeney, the general manager who traded him to Florida at the trade deadline.
Marchand played at TD Garden as a visitor in February when he wore the Canada jersey in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Although he was still a member of the Bruins, Boston fans booed him.
He was traded to Florida a few weeks later, when 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 only skated on the Garden ice in practice.
