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Brad Marchand Thanks Bruins Fans in Emotional Farewell Letter After Trade
Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand was sent to the Florida Panthers last week in a shocking intradivision move that ended the franchise star's 16-season run in Boston right at the trade deadline.
Now that the dust has settled a bit, Marchand has taken a minute to officially say goodbye to his now-former team and its dedicated fans.
"To Boston," Marchand wrote in a full-page ad published in Monday's Boston Globe, "Thank you for welcoming me into this great city when I was just a young Canadian kid looking to break it into the best league in the world. You allowed me to achieve my dream of playing in the National Hockey League and winning the Stanley Cup. For this I am forever grateful. You also embraced me from day one and immediately brought me into your family. Since that time, I have become a husband and a father to a beautiful family. My family is your family: We are Bostonians now and forever.
"Representing this city 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. Boston will always be a part of me, and it will always be a part of my family. There are far too many people I want to thank to be able to include in this short note, but just know how grateful I am for the time I spent in Boston playing for the Bruins."
Take a look at that letter:
"We are Bostonians now and forever."
— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) March 10, 2025
Brad Marchand wrote a farewell letter to Bruins fans, an advertisement published in Monday's edition of the @bostonglobe. https://t.co/4K5PmxcrQN pic.twitter.com/pSBvkOLQLA
The 36-year-old was drafted by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 draft. For the 2024-25 season, he has so far notched 21 goals with 26 assists for 47 points. A differing perspective on salary is said to have contributed to the trade, per ESPN.
Panthers GM Bill Zito said on Friday that Marchand is expected to miss around two weeks while dealing with an upper body injury.
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Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.