March 11, 2025 | 11:55am ET
By Shawn Hutcheon, TheFourthPeriod.com

MARCHAND SPEAKS ABOUT HIS “SHELF LIFE” IN BOSTON

Brad Marchand, forard

BOSTON, MA — On Monday, Brad Marchand broke his silence three days after seeing his 16-year career with the Boston Bruins end due to the trade that shocked the hockey world.

Marchand has been playing on a contract that will expire at the end of this season and, according to various reports, met with Boston’s management Thursday to iron out a new deal. It has been reported that the two sides agreed to a three-year contract, but instead of opening the vault (or close to it) to the man who had given the Boston franchise every ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention the 2011 Stanley Cup championship, they could not agree on the dollar amount. It was at this time that Marchand agreed to be traded and asked that he be moved to Florida. Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney acquiesced and made the deal with Panthers General Manager Bill Zito.

Many were shocked that the Bruins would trade their captain, while others were more surprised that Marchand was headed to the Panthers.

The weekend passed, and there was no word from Marchand, but he broke his silence Monday when he made a statement through the Boston Globe newspaper.

In his statement with the Globe, Marchand thanked Bruins fans for their support from the days when he was a “Canadian kid” breaking into the NHL to the present-day family man that he has become.

“My family is your family: we are Bostonians now and forever,” Marchand wrote. “Representing this city (Boston) as captain of the Boston Bruins was the greatest honor of my life. And it was a privilege to wear the spoked B over the past 16 years.”

Marchand, who has not skated since suffering an upper-body injury in Pittsburgh on March 1, took questions from the Florida media and expressed his feelings about leaving the city that has been his home throughout his adult life.

“Obviously, it’s sad to leave a place that I look at as home,” Marchand said. “I have a lot of great memories in Boston and a ton of incredible years there.”

Since the trade, there have been multiple reports and rumors about how negotiations between the Bruins and Marchand fell apart. Sweeney said there was “a gap” but did not go into specifics during his press conference Friday. Marchand acknowledged that was the key issue to talks coming to an end before the deadline.

“I do want to clean up because I’ve seen, the last few days, the narrative that’s been going around,” said Marchand, who did his best at restraining his emotions during his media availability. “I want to set the record straight: I don’t have any ill will towards the (Bruins) management group, towards Sweens, or towards Cam or Charlie. I’ve had an incredible run in that organization. I’m extremely proud. It’s just how things went there. It was very disappointing that things didn’t get done just because obviously I loved the organization. I wanted to stay there, but at the end of the day, I also know this is a business, and every player has a shelf life, and regardless if that’s when we want it to be or not, sometimes, there’s things out of our control that dictate situations.

“If we (Bruins) were in the playoffs at that point in time, we’d probably be having a much different conversation, and I know that, but we weren’t and at that point, very tough decisions have to be made and the one thing that I always used to respect, and I told Cam and Sweens this is, they have a job to do and they have to make the best decisions for the team. I completely understand where the decisions need to be made. Sometimes, they work against you, but that’s why I believe Sweens is one of, if not the best, general managers in the League. I’ve watched him a very long time excel at his job. To know how hard he works, no one would question where his loyalty lies, and that is to do what’s best for the team every day. When you’re part of that group, you feel it. Like I said, every guy has their day. Obviously, it’s not what you want to have happen, but I don’t hold that against him or the group. It’s part of the game. Also, he (Sweeney) did create this opportunity for me to be here (Florida). (I’m) grateful beyond words for everything that organization has done for me.”

In what may be the irony of all ironies, the Panthers will be in Boston on Tuesday to face off against the Bruins. Marchand said he does not know when he will return to game action, however, he does intend on traveling with his new teammates.

“It’s bittersweet,” Marchand said when asked if he would accompany the Panthers to Boston. “It’ll be great to go home. The guys (Bruins) were on the road when I got traded, so I didn’t get to see a lot of the guys before I left, so it’ll be nice just to be able to see guys and kind of say goodbye. It’ll be very weird to be there as the opposing team. It’s nice, but it’ll be sad, too.”

As of Monday, it was not known if the Boston organization was planning on showing a Brad Marchand appreciation video on the big board over TD Garden’s center ice during the game versus Florida, but if it does or when it does, be assured that those in attendance will be loud, very loud, perhaps the loudest it has ever been in that building, in showing not only their appreciation, but their love for a man who became one of them.

A Bostonian. A Bruin. A Bruin who, for 16 years, gave everything he had to the spoked B crest, to Boston, to New England, and the fans cannot wait to say thank you for the memories. And, might I add, there will not be many dry eyes in the house either.

Marchand’s shelf-life in Boston may have run out on Friday, but he can continue playing in Florida or wherever he lands with a new contract in hand when the League’s free agency period begins on July 1, knowing that when his shelf-life as a professional athlete comes to an end, his name will be among those who will always be regarded as Boston’s greatest athletes and there is no expiration date when the fans love them as much as they love Brad Marchand.