Bruins fans and TD Garden better know the assignment with Brad Marchand
Marchand is returning to TD Garden for the first time as a Panther, and Boston fans better be ready for an epic tribute.
Brad Marchand is going to get the biggest welcome for a returning former Bruins player in a long time. Right? Right?
Perhaps any concerns are with a straw man, but Marchand is coming back to play at TD Garden in a different sweater for the first time in his career Tuesday night when the Florida Panthers visit the Bruins. The basic expectation is that the team and the TD Garden video crew will have an epic tribute ready for Marchand during a stoppage in play. Marchand will be shown looking up at the video screen, his eyes telling 15 years of stories.
The other expectation is that the fans in attendance will give Marchand one of the biggest ovations the arena has ever heard. This is a Bruins Stanley Cup champion, the No. 5 scorer in franchise history, longtime identity of the team. A former third-round pick that rose to the ranks of the elite players of the league. His departure mirrors Ray Bourque's, as the B's had to ship off their captain in his quest for another Cup amid a floundering season in Boston and a stalemate in contract talks. Fortunately, the city learned from its past mistakes and didn't hold a Stanley Cup rally for the Panthers. But when Marchand gets his tribute at the Garden, it's going to be time for every single Bruins fan to get on their feet and cheer their asses off for No. 63.
They should celebrate Marchand, if for no other reason than Marchand would celebrate them. Speaking to reporters at TD Garden, Marchand was asked the best thing about Boston, and gave an answer the people should appreciate.
"The fans, for sure, hockey-wise," Marchand said. "The city's incredible. I've lived in a bunch of different areas around here and the city's incredible, but the fans make it awesome. They're just very unique. Some of the stories and things that I've seen fans do, some of them -- and a lot of them aren't PG-rated -- in playoff runs and stuff like that, it's so special and so unique to this area.
"It's as simple as, every time I go get a coffee, I go the same routine so same coffee shop every day, messages on your cup, if I had a good game or bad game the night before -- 'Tough one for ya last night!' So, all the way down, they bleed black & gold."
To be fair, any pessimism over how Marchand will be received at the Garden may be unwarranted. It's hard to believe that Marchand would be booed. But frankly, there shouldn't even be a light smattering of boos. It should be unanimous cheering.
Put aside the narcissistic "I paid for my ticket and I'll boo who I want!" bullshit for a night, if you have to. Put aside the contract issues, because at the end of the day it's not your money and it's the Bruins that didn't want to spend it. Even put aside Game 7 in 2019, because Game 7 in 2011 at the very least cancels that out. And you can even boo Marchand after the tribute and the game gets going again, now that it's out of our systems and he's officially the enemy. But do not make any noise for Marchand's tribute unless it is a boisterous, cathartic cheer for one of the franchise greats.
This isn't about you or me. This is about Marchand. Let's not eff up this moment. Let's give him the welcome back he deserves, then go on with our lives and root for the spoked 'B' over the large cat. I know you'll deliver, though, because like Marchand said, the fans make it awesome.
