Brad Marchand reveals what made him break down in tears at TD Garden

Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand made his return to Boston on Tuesday night and the Bruins’ fanbase made him cry. This marked Marchand’s first game in Boston since he was traded by the Bruins ahead of the deadline in March and the team and fans wanted to honour him.

In the first period, the Bruins honored Marchand with a tribute video and he could not hold back the tears.

After the game, which ended with Marchand’s Panthers on top 4-3, Marchand met with reporters and explained what made him break down when watching the video.

“As soon as I saw my kids on the screen, it kind of hit like a ton of bricks,” Marchand said postgame. “The memories. The emotions of everything. The years and the incredible times. It just kind of comes pouring into your memory. It’s just crazy to see.

“There’s a lot of things I forget. The years all bunch together. Careers go by fast. It doesn’t matter how long you’re in it — it goes by extremely fast. To see a snapshot of that in a clip like that, it brings everything back, and the amount of pride that I had — that I /have/ — that I played here and in this organization, I just couldn’t hold it in.”

Marchand was selected by the Bruins back in 2006 and spent the first 15-plus seasons of his career in Boston after debuting in the 2009-10 season. He played a pivotal role in the team winning the Stanley Cup in 2011 and was named captain in 2023. It was a shock and a tough pill to swallow when he was acquired by Florida in March.

Marchand, who drew a penalty and added two assists, received a lengthy standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd and thanked the fans after the game for such a warm welcome.

“I’m grateful for what the Bruins did tonight and I’m grateful to the fans,” he said.

And it's clear that the fanbase in Boston is grateful as well for Marchand and what he did for the franchise.