Marchand: 'Hard not to' get emotional in return to Boston
Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand will play his first game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, although he's tried not to think about it due to the emotion involved.
"It kind of hits you when you're here a little bit more," Marchand told NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin on Monday. "I haven't thought about it a ton up until this point. I think that's probably why I don't, because then I'll get emotional about it. But it'll be hard not to. There are too many memories, and I was here too long."
Marchand played 16 seasons with the Bruins before being dealt to the Panthers at last season's trade deadline. He ranks fourth in Bruins history in goals (422), fifth in scoring (976), and fourth in games played (1,090). Marchand won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011.
The Panthers faced Boston days after Marchand was traded, but he didn't play due to injury. Marchand enjoyed immediate success in Florida once healthy, racking up 20 points in 23 playoff games as the Panthers claimed their second straight Stanley Cup. The Nova Scotia native re-signed with Florida just before free agency on a six-year, $31.5-million pact.
As Marchand returns to Boston, he's appreciative of Bruins fans and their passion.
"You go to all these places around the league where people don't show up and don't care, and they don't say anything, and you don't hear about hockey when you leave the rink," Marchand said. "But (Boston) is a real sports city. So when you leave, they care about it. They'll take it home and wear it to work the next day, just like you do. They don't just turn the TV off and forget about it. So when you have a fan base that's passionate like that, you've got to embrace it and appreciate it."
Marchand will try to cherish the moment, something he admits he hasn't done enough in his career.
"I'm just excited about it," Marchand said. "It'll be fun to be back here. It'll be fun to play the Bruins. It'll be fun to play against teammates. Have friends and family in the building again. These are things that, down the road, I think I'll really appreciate. There's been enough moments that I kind of went through and I didn't take it in enough or I didn't really appreciate it, and this is one that I will make sure that I do."