Brad Marchand Reveals His True Feelings on What it Means to be Cheered by Panthers Fans
Photo credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
It must have been bizarre for Brad Marchand to be cheered by Panthers fans for the first time in his long career, and he spoke about what it meant to him.
Brad Marchand was welcomed by Florida Panthers supporters with open arms when he returned to action in his team's game on Friday night against the Utah Hockey Club.
Traded by Boston three weeks ago, Marchand had also been sidelined with an upper-body injury, keeping him from getting into his debut game.
Marchand finally made his debut about three weeks after being traded
He finally got out onto the ice, however, and played second-line minutes next to Sam Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich.
Panthers supporters expressed their gratitude during warm-ups, welcoming Marchand with a thunderous reception to the ice. He even tossed a puck into the stands for a lucky spectator.
At the start of the game and when they made the lineup announcement, Marchand received the loudest reception of any Florida player. Marchand was thankful for the warm reception from Panthers fans after the game.
"Being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different, but it's a great feeling," Brad Marchand said. "It's not often you get to be part of a group like this. I've been on a lot of teams throughout the years, and you know when you have something special."
Florida defeated Utah 2-1 in overtime, and Marchand assisted on the game-winner to Bennett.
"There's not many teams that are legit contenders each year. The way they talk about the game, the way they talk about working, competing and showing up every day. I feel very fortunate and excited to be part of this group," Marchand said.
The effort placed him in exclusive company, joining Aleksi Heponiemi as one of a small group of Panthers players to record an overtime point in his inaugural game.
As the final whistle was blown, Marchand gathered up a few of the toy rats tossed onto the ice in celebration, as his kids had asked him to take some home.
| POLL | ||
MARS 29 | 261 ANSWERS Brad Marchand Reveals His True Feelings on What it Means to be Cheered by Panthers Fans Is it still bizarre to see Brad Marchand in a Panthers jersey? | ||
| Yes | 235 | 90 % |
| No | 26 | 10 % |
| List of polls | ||
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