Monday’s Panthers practice was not the first time Brad Marchand skated on TD Garden ice in a Florida uniform. That actually happened in March, just four days after the shocking trade that ended his 16 years with the Bruins.
But Marchand was recovering from an injury then. He did not play against his former team that night. This time, however, Marchand is in. On Tuesday night, he will play in Boston for the first time as a Panther.
How will he feel playing in front of Bruins fans as a visitor? Well, that depends. Meeting with the media after Monday’s practice, Marchand acknowledged this will be “more emotional” than last year’s trip to Boston, but also used the words “excited” and “fun.”
“It'll be more emotional, obviously, being back there,” Marchand said. “Last year, it was kind of weird timing two or three days after I got traded, so it was bit of a tough time. I didn't see anybody before I left, so it was good to be able to kind of come back and say goodbye to everyone. I was pretty happy I wasn't playing that game, but I'm excited for this one. I mean, it'll 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'll be a pretty intense game. So, it'll be fun to play in front of the Bruins fans again. I’m excited.”
Marchand seems to have a good understanding of where he stands with Boston fans. He knows he was a fan favorite throughout his tenure with the Bruins, and knows he has a place in franchise history forever as someone who rose from fourth-line grinder to key Stanley Cup contributor to star scorer to team captain. He also knows Boston fans still don’t like seeing Florida win despite him being there.
Marchand downplayed what kind of reception he’ll get Tuesday, but whether he was just being coy or is actually unsure about what to expect is unclear.
“I'm sure it's got to be tough,” Marchand said. “Some people, they won't be able to cheer because I know they don't like the Panthers very much, but maybe they like me enough to give a little ‘yay’ out there or something. But yeah, I think there could be a little bit of love there, maybe if I do something good. If I do something bad, they'll probably boo me pretty quick. But they're pretty passionate here, so they might have forgot already and just treat me like any other Panther player.”
Spoiler: The 17,850 fans in attendance Tuesday are not going to treat Marchand like “any other Panther player.” This reporter expects a loud and lengthy standing ovation.
Whatever the reaction Tuesday, Marchand had high praise for Boston fans Monday. In fact, when he was asked what the best part of the city was, his answer was them.
“The fans, for sure,” he said. “I mean, hockey-wise, the city is 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 that I've seen fans do, and a lot of them aren't PG-rated, in like playoff runs and stuff like that, it's so special, and I think so unique to this area.
“…They bleed black and gold, and that's part of why I think there's so much pressure on teams to have success, and why they focus on it so much. I mean, you can't slip. You guys see it. You're all here every day. You don't have the ability to slip in the 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.”
During Marchand’s press conference Monday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman told him that when Mats Sundin first returned to Toronto as a visitor back in 2009, he was so overcome with emotion after a standing ovation that he couldn’t take the next faceoff. Friedman asked if Marchand could see himself feeling that way Tuesday night.
“Yeah, for sure. Luckily, I'm not a centerman, so I don't have to take the faceoff, but yeah, for sure,” Marchand said. “I mean, even just, I kind of thought about it for the first time last night, being here. Was actually going to dinner, and on the way over I was kind of thinking about it. So, I got a little emotional. It kind of hits you when you're here a little bit more. I haven't thought about it up until this point. I think that's probably why I don't, because then I'll get emotional about it, you know? But yeah, it'll be hard not to. There's just, there's too many memories and I was here too long for it not to.”
Faceoff Tuesday night is set for 7:30 p.m., with the game broadcast nationally on ESPN. The Bruins and Panthers both enter with 3-4-0 records that they've obtained in identical fashion, by starting 3-0-0 before now losing four straight.