Brad Marchand: Back in Boston with Florida Panthers, Faces Bruins for First Time

Brad Marchand: Back in Boston with Florida Panthers, Faces Bruins for First Time

Yeah, it’ll be more emotional obviously being back there. Last year was it was kind of a weird timing. It was two or three days after I got traded. So, it was a bit of a tough time. Also, I mean, 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. Um, I was pretty happy I wasn’t playing that game, but um I’m excited for this one. I mean, it’ll be it’ll be fun to compete against my, you know, guys they playing with for a long time and be on the other side of it in here. Um, you know, I’m sure it’ll be a pretty intense game, so it uh you know, it’ll be fun to play in front of the the Bruins fans again. And uh um yeah, so I’m excited. What are you anticipating from the fans? Your your game is is one that that maybe doesn’t uh doesn’t endear you to to the opposing fan base, but a little different here. Yeah. Um I I mean, I’m sure I’m I’m sure it’s going to be tough on some people like they won’t be able to cheer because I know they don’t like the Panthers very much. Um but you know, maybe they’ll like me enough to give it a little yay out there or something. Um but yeah, no, I I I think that uh you know, it’ll be I think there’ll be some 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, uh, they’re pretty passionate here, so um, they might have forgot already and just, you know, treat me like any other Panther player. Paul said it took you about an hour to stop in the locker room when you got to Florida. What do you attribute that to be able to Well, I just didn’t like anybody, so I was going to let him know. Um, no, I I it’s just me, right? Like that I think that’s how I I make things a little less awkward, maybe, or just lighten up the mood a little bit. Um, but they also have I mean we got a great locker room that makes it very easy to walk into and a lot of guys like chirping in there too. So it uh makes it easy just to to follow in. Um, you know, I think a lot of guys understood that it was a bit of a tough position for me uh leaving Boston and and really tried to uh make me feel comfortable there. So uh really appreciated, you know, guys kind of going out of their way to to make me uh to make it easier on me coming in. Um, and it did. I mean, it was also tough cuz I wasn’t playing, so I wasn’t around a ton. So, it uh definitely helped with the transition a lot. Uh, so just like local friends and and my wife and kids are here, in-laws. Um, that’s it. I think more more people watching from afar. Have you connected with anyone yet? Oh, they’re they just I think they’re getting in later this evening. So, um I’ll probably not tonight. Maybe tomorrow night after the game. Yeah. Oh, I saw Yeah, I saw I went to dinner with Bergie and Z and Tuk and Quer last night. So, that was it was a nice reunion. All bunch of old guys sitting together reminiscing. What’s it going to be like going up against some of your former teammates? Uh it’ll be different for sure. Uh being on the other side of it. Um, you know, you always want to go in and and you know, there’s a respect factor and a love for the guys, but it gets pretty intense pretty quick out there. You know, it takes one guy kind of even bumping you the wrong way and, you know, emotions get high. Um, they have a very competitive team, like, you know, aggressive style and and guys compete. Um, so I mean, it’s just naturally going to be elevated. Um, so yeah, I’m sure it’ll be, you know, we’ll we’ll keep the the nice chatter for before or after. There’s a lot of leadership out of this lineup right now. Did you have to consciously assume a little more of that or how this Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think at this point I just kind of am who I am. Um and and I just not like I just try to be myself and and um you know it’s tough when you lose a guy like like Barky and and Chucky. Chucky’s a very vocal guy in the room and on the ice and in practice and uh kind of everywhere where Barky just kind of leads by example and and obviously he he plays big minutes. So it’s hard to replace guys like that and and same with Kulie and knows he being out. Um, you know, is a very vocal guy, kind of always laughing and and lightening up the room and, um, so it’s hard when you lose guys like that, like they’re really hard to replace. So, you know, I just try to try to chat a bit and and um, you know, try to try to be a little bit more vocal, but other than that, we still have a ton of leadership in the room and a lot of guys that that don’t need to be led. They just, you know, they go about their business and, um, you know, they’re really good pros. Who paid for dinner last night? They bullied me. I had to. Yeah. How do you prepare for something tomorrow emotionally? Uh I think I’m just excited about it. I’m just going to try to enjoy it. It uh you know, I don’t I don’t really know what to expect, you know, emotionally. Um I think the closest I got to to being on the other side was being here for Team Canada and against Team USA. Um, even that was a little bit different, uh, I would say and and in the way that I felt, but yeah, I’m just I mean, I’m just excited. But it’ll be fun to be back here. It’ll be fun to play the Bruins. It’ll be fun to play against teammates and um have friends and family in the building again. So, um, you know, I’m I’m just going to like these are things that down the road I think I’ll really appreciate and and, uh, you know, there’s been enough moments that I kind of went through and I didn’t take it in enough where I didn’t really appreciate it. And, you know, this is one that I I will make sure that I do. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Um, luckily I’m not a centerman, so I don’t have to take the face off, but um yeah, for sure. I mean, I even just I um I kind of thought about it for the first time last night. like I you know being here I was actually going to dinner and and uh on the way over I was kind of thinking about it and started to get a little emotional just you know it kind of hits you when you’re here a little bit more. I haven’t thought about it a ton up until this point but uh I think that’s probably why I don’t because I know I’ll get emotional about it you know and and uh but yeah it’ll be hard not to. I mean there’s just there’s too many memories and and was here too long for it not to. Maybe it won’t. Rule of law, it’s not tomorrow. Yeah, I think the craziest thing is that kind of how I got there. Um I I you know once I’ve had my first stint and I played 20 games, I think I had an assist in my first game and then nothing across the board after that. Uh it was looking like a pretty slim chance I was going to be, you know, a topline guy here in this league. Um, I think we all kind of thought maybe it’d be fourth line and and uh hopefully move up from there, but I think it just it was a great wakeup call that like it’s it’s a very difficult league to be in and and um have success and so uh you know I learned a lot just from that little stint and uh so from when you look at that first 20 game window um to you know where I am now it uh it It’s It’s been a pretty incredible run. And I remember when I was um 16 or 17 years old, I um my buddy got drafted to the Mooseetss and and Bobby Smith was the owner and someone said he had a thousand points in the NHL and I was like, “That’s insane.” Like, you know, the chances of playing a thousand games or, you know, you need 20 years to, you know, 15 healthy years and a lot a lot of guys need more than that to to do it. Um, you know, that’s crazy. So to have that many points is pretty spectacular stat. Um, so yeah, I mean, you know, hopefully can get there and it, uh, will be something that, uh, I’ll be very, very proud of if it does. And, um, you know, you look back, it’s it’s been a pretty magical run. One I never ever thought that I’d be um, blessed to have, but very grateful for it. The last game Are you wearing the heel at the moment? Oh, yeah. I Yeah, I actually thought I did a great job at restraining myself because I wanted to toss it into the crowd, but uh might have been a little more than a fine if I did that. So, that was Box. Yeah, it was it. It was either I throw it or I rip it and I ripped it. Probably should just put it down next time. A lot of fans are really warm, but you have that in Florida as well. you guys get to kind of be beloved by two different fan just especially now as you said you get part in your career just what do you what’s your relationship like with the fans how much you just appreciate I love it yeah I love I love you know interacting with the fans and um my wife actually said that to me the other day she she’s blown away with the support in Florida um you know like we thought we’d go down there and you know you kind of hide out nobody knows you I think I get recognized there more than here now and uh you know the the support in in Florida now is is incredible. Um, and it’s pretty special to to have a fan base in in two places like I’ve been at. Obviously, winning helps and and you know, it brings a tremendous amount of recognition to the game um in that area, but uh it it I mean I enjoy it. I mean, I was a fan I’m a fan of the game. I was a fan of the game growing up and and you know one of my when I was young like I’ll never forget that I was you know I met one of the guys that I looked up to and and he wasn’t very nice to me. Um then I hated him after that. So I I’ve always you know I’m we all have bad days. I’m not perfect in every situation with fans but uh I think it’s fun to interact. You know they appreciate it. They enjoy it. And you know, half the time when a fan says something to me and they’re making fun of me or something, I say something back, they like they appreciate it and and they’re like, “Man, I actually love you.” Like I just I didn’t mean what I said, you know, and and so it just like I just don’t think that happens very much in our sport where where you interact a lot. Um, but I think it’s special to be in this position where, you know, you do have people that recognize you and and you know, want to interact with you and there’ll be a time when it’s done. Um, you know, and you won’t be able to do it anymore. So, I, you know, I try to enjoy it and embrace it and have fun. I think I get a a fun personality. Um, and, uh, you know, I just try to embrace that, you know, not all the time, but a lot of times the Olympics are a couple of months away. Do you allow yourself to think about that in the grind of a team? Yeah, I think about I thought about it for 12 years now. Um, you know, that’s been one of the driving factors of my training and trying to push push to play to to this point. Um, was I, you know, I it’s a position I never thought that I’d be in to be able to potentially play for a team like that. So, it’s definitely something I think about now and and um I focus on, but I mean to focus on that is more just preparing and making sure you’re focused on each and every game and and day and doing the things that you have to do to have success. Um, and what I mean by that is like I don’t mean scoring. I mean just like playing well and and being really detailed in your game. Um, so yeah, I mean you can’t think about it all the time, but it’s it’s in the back of my mind for sure. Someone ask you what’s the best thing? The fans for sure. I mean, you know, hockey wise, like the city’s incredible. I I mean, I’ve lived in a bunch of different areas around here and the city’s incredible, but the fans make it awesome and uh they’re just very unique. Some of the stories that and the things that I’ve seen fans do and and a lot of them aren’t PG-rated um in in like playoff runs and stuff like that. It’s so special and I think so unique to this area. Um, you know, and and I mean it’s as simple as as like every every time I’d go get a coffee, I’d go to the same routine. So, same coffee shop every day, you know, miss message on your cup, you know, about if I had a good game or bad game the night before, you know what I mean? Like, not a tough one for you last night. So, I mean, all the way down, they’re just they bleed black and gold. And um that that’s part of why I think there’s so much pressure on the team to have success and why they focus on it so much is I mean you you can’t slip. I mean you guys see it. You’re all here every day and like you don’t have the ability to slip in the city or you’re going to hear about it and and uh you know we wanted to produce and be good for the fans and and live up to that reputation and um so it makes it special to to play here. I’m sure sometimes I appreciate concern about at the moment a little bit of distance. Do do you kind of appreciate that from the fans? Yeah. Yeah. Um, you know, from the fans, from the media, like for everything. I mean, it’s I think just as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been appreciated for it more. I don’t I don’t take it as personal. Um, you know, I know the fans are are saying things because and they’re upset because they care. like they they want like they’re proud of their team and and they want to be behind a team that competes and has success and they want to see us win. Um, you know, and to me the same thing and and so I as before when I was younger, I think I I take it personally and I feel like we’re being attacked. Um, and I felt like, you know, we’re trying and and you know, we want to win just as bad. Uh but at the same time there’s a responsibility that comes with this team with playing with this team. And I think that’s what I grew to understand is it’s not it’s not because they don’t like you. It’s because you know when you sign up to play here, you you sign up to carry the burden of understanding that you need to have success here. Um, and if you don’t, you’re going to hear about it and and you know, you better shut up and just just take it because um, you know, you know that when you sign up. So, uh, you know, you want to play for a fan base. You go to all these place around the league where people don’t show up and don’t care and they don’t say anything. They don’t hear about hockey when you leave the rink, but um, this is a real sports city. So, when you leave, you know, they uh, they care about it. you know, they’ll take it home and wear it to work the next day just like you do. Um, you know, they don’t just turn the TV off and forget about it. So, when you have a a fan base that’s bashing it like that, you know, you got to embrace and appreciate it. Yeah. after you got there in Boston. Yeah, I I did. I mean, what I really They have a like phenomenal culture. Um really impressed with with the way things are done there. I mean, part of why I want to stay. I just um you know they they are on a mission right now like from ownership down to to be the best and to you know to exceed even what they accomplished last year. So um you know I I felt like I was learning I have never been part of a different organization or so there’s a lot for me to learn. I mean you’re when you’re in one area like you just learn what’s around you. Um, you know, it was it was a great learning opportunity for me to go in and see, you know, what their leadership group does and and how they handle their day-to-day and and from top down. So, um, you know, I felt like I I was learning more going in there than what I was bringing to the table. And also, I mean, I was in a different position. Like, I didn’t have to go in and be the leader. I was just another guy kind of pulling on the rope. Um, so it was it was a great opportunity for me to just kind of sit back and see what everyone was doing. not sit back, but like just watch what other guys are doing, learn from them and um be in a different room, different environment. It was just, you know, it was it was a nice opportunity to to grow. Um and it and it it was um obviously a new experience and and you can learn a lot from that. You can learn a lot from, you know, failures and everything. So try to take the things that I learned here. Um, yeah. I mean, what I the reason why I think that the team is so strong and has had so much success lately is like I I don’t look at anyone in there and be like, “Oh, that guy needs to learn.” Like the everyone’s pretty pretty good leader in their own right now. They got some young guys that are they’re kind of coming up and and um are going to have some very bright futures, but uh u the way these guys handle their dayto-day is extremely impressive.

Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand speaks in Boston following practice at the Garden on Oct. 20, 2025.

The Panthers have lost four straight going into Tuesday’s game against the Bruins.

It will be the first game for Brad Marchand back in Boston since the trade to the Panthers last season.

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