Having made himself a permanent feature in the Bruins’ locker room for over 16 seasons, Brad Marchand was almost sure that he would retire as a Boston star. The Nova Scotia native even admitted that the New England city felt like “home“. However, like many NHL fans, Marchand was just as shocked when he was traded to the Panthers in March. Now, as he waits to return to his old stomping ground, the Florida winger’s wife has a special plea for the hockey community in Boston.

On Tuesday, the Bruins will host the defending Stanley Cup champions at TD Garden. This will be the first time in 17 years that Marchand will step onto the ice of the stadium not draped in black and gold colors. Easy to comprehend that even the seasoned star is feeling a little nervous. Ahead of the clash, Marchand tried to ease the tension with a little joke. “They won’t be able to cheer because I know they don’t like the Panthers very much. But maybe they’ll like me enough to give it a little, ‘Yay!’ out there or something,” he chuckled. And now, his wife, too, has a request for the Boston camp.

Katrina Marchand shared her husband’s comments on her Instagram story from October 20. With that, she added a message of her own. “Please, just a couple yays,” she wrote in her social media update, underscoring just how intensely everyone is waiting for Brad’s imminent return to Boston. “It’s going to be weird. I think there’s going to be a lot of different emotions…There’s a mix of emotions being on the other side of it. There’s a lot that goes with the situation I’m in now,” the Panthers’ star added further on his return, via NHL.com.

But even while he might be feeling nervous, Brad couldn’t help but note how passionate the hockey fans are in Boston. “Hockey-wise, the city’s incredible… The fans make it awesome and they’re just very unique…They bleed black and gold,” Marchand said about the kind of intense support he had received during his time as a Bruins’ forward. But come tomorrow, the 37-year-old will get to know first-hand how it feels to have that passionate crowd stand against you.

Marchand played 1,090 regular-seasons and 157 postseason games for Boston and led the team to its Stanley Cup triumph in 2011. But on Tuesday, he will be responsible for holding the fort for the Panthers. It was a situation no one saw coming even a year ago.

Considering how the Panthers are currently running thin in numbers, with Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk out with injuries, coach Paul Maurice will rely heavily on Marchand to lead the team on Tuesday.

The upcoming match will also provide Marchand with the opportunity to redeem himself for his actions from last Saturday. During the match between the Panthers and the Sabres last weekend, Brad got entangled in a fisticuff with Rasmus Dahlin and fans were shocked by how the former took out his frustrations on the Buffalo captain’s helmet. Marchand was later fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike behavior by the NHL.

Goes without saying that Brad has a lot on his mind. But while he might be feeling anxious about his (sort of) homecoming, he still has many people in Boston who continue to put him on a high pedestal.

Brad Marchand won’t be entirely unwelcomed in Boston

Following Marchand’s trade, the Bruins’ 2024-25 campaign did not improve. In fact, the Eastern Conference giants finished the season at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and didn’t make the playoffs. Amidst the turmoil, hockey fans from the city turned to their former star to rally behind for the postseason. Images of the Edward Everett Hale statue in Boston Public Garden wearing a Brad Marchand jersey went viral on social media, underscoring how deep the love for the star ran in the city.

Then, during the short period when Marchand’s contract was extended by the Panthers, fans once again dove head-first into the speculation of whether the Bruins would get him back on the team. However, Florida GM, Bill Zito, soon locked in on a new deal and Marchand’s possibilities of returning to the Bruins’ locker room were swiftly dismissed. However, while it might be true that the Boston community would have loved to have their former captain back, Brad is pretty sure where he wants to be.

The absence of Barkov and Tkachuk has hit the Panthers hard, and the sudden slump in their form confirms the same. In this chaos, a veteran like Brad Marchand can play a crucial role, and he’s not shy to shoulder the task, either. Just a few days ago, the star publicly admitted that he’s taken on a bigger leadership role in the Panthers’ locker room to help the team stay focused. As he returns to his old city, albeit as a member of the opposing team, will Marchand be able to get rid of his love for Boston and work toward bringing Florida a much-awaited victory? We’ll have to wait to see!