Bruins show love to emotional Marchand in return

BOSTON -- The Little Ball of Hate inactive has a batch of emotion backmost successful Boston.

Brad Marchand appeared to beryllium holding backmost tears connected the crystal erstwhile the TD Garden assemblage gave him a lasting ovation Tuesday nighttime during his archetypal crippled arsenic a Bruins opponent. The 37-year-old guardant tapped his heart, wiped his look and waved to the assemblage arsenic some teams banged their sticks against the crystal and adjacent the referee and each linesperson clapped along.

The past remaining subordinate of Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team, Marchand was traded to the Panthers past play for different accidental astatine a title. He helped Florida implicit its pursuit of back-to-back championships, portion the Bruins plummeted to the bottommost of the Eastern Conference standings.

In his archetypal crippled backmost arsenic a Panther, the Boston assemblage cheered him disconnected the crystal aft the pregame warmups, arsenic the TD Garden DJ played a mashup of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Marchand responded with a instrumentality salute arsenic helium headed disconnected via the visitors bench.

Fans wearing Marchand's Boston and Florida No. 63 jerseys cheered again during introductions for the erstwhile Bruins captain. (They booed erstwhile helium drew a tripping punishment conscionable 33 seconds into the game, past gave a mixed absorption erstwhile the Panthers scored connected the powerfulness play -- a extremity that archetypal appeared to beryllium Marchand's but was credited to Mackie Samoskevich; Marchand picked up an assist.)

But things got truly affectional during a commercialized interruption midway done the archetypal period, erstwhile the scoreboard showed a item reel from Marchand's clip successful Boston -- including shots of him raising the Stanley Cup, and ending with him posing with the captain's "C" that helium wore for conscionable 1 afloat season.

Florida ended up winning the game, 4-3, connected a last-minute goal.

A four-time All-Star who had 422 goals and 554 assists successful 16 seasons successful Boston, Marchand remains successful the Bruins' apical 10 for goals, assists, short-handed and overtime goals, playoff goals and points. His 1,090 games played is 4th successful squad history, 1 spot up of Don Sweeney, the wide manager who dealt him to Florida astatine the commercialized deadline.

Marchand did play successful the TD Garden arsenic a visitant successful February erstwhile helium suited up for Canada successful the 4 Nations Face-Off. Although helium was inactive a subordinate of the Bruins, the Boston fans booed him.

He was traded to Florida a fewer weeks aboriginal arsenic Boston sold disconnected its roster and began a rebuild. But erstwhile the Panthers visited for the Bruins' archetypal location crippled aft the commercialized deadline, Marchand was injured and skated connected the Garden crystal lone successful practice.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.