![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Brad Marchand (63) during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against the United States at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_161,w_2845,h_1600/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/74/01kh7gq20qgka7tb25az.jpg "Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Brad Marchand (63) during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game against the United States at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images")
The Boston Bruins fanbase didn't get a chance to say goodbye to their captain, Brad Marchand, correctly. For 14 years, Marchand stole the hearts of the fans by playing the style of hockey that the city loves. It felt like a foregone conclusion that the new captain would finish his career in the city, but thanks to the team's struggles last season, fans were blindsided by a trade to the Florida Panthers at the deadline.
To make matters worse, Marchand suffered an injury in his last official game with the Bruins. He went on injured reserve to rehab it and would never play with the team again. The lasting memory of Marchand in a Boston uniform is him barely being able to get off the ice under his own power, which is an unfortunate end to a historic career.
American Bruins fans will never receive any closure. The rest of Marchand's career will be in Florida, on one of the team's biggest rivals of this decade. Bruins supporters will never be able to cheer for their captain again at the NHL level, but for fans from Canada, they'll get one more chance at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Brad Marchand's Hockey Canada career
The absence of NHLers at the Olympics since 2014 robbed Marchand of the chance to represent his country in his prime. 2018 and 2022 would've been the chance for Marchand and Patrice Bergeron to play massive roles on Team Canada's Olympic team, as they did in 2016 at the World Cup when Marchand scored one of the biggest goals of the tournament.
Nevertheless, Marchand's hot start to the season gave him the chance to wear the red and white one more time for his first Olympics. He has been a clutch performer for his country at the World Junior Championships, World Cup, and 4 Nations Face-Off. No one is going to be too surprised if he steps up his game again over the next two weeks and adds an Olympic medal to his trophy case.
American fans will still have to root against Marchand, as even in international play, he'll be on their country's biggest rival. However, Canadian fans will get one last opportunity to cheer for their longtime favorite.
It's a shame that he'll never wear a Bruins jersey again, and re-signing with the Panthers instead of coming home this past offseason is a sore spot for some fans. However, this Canadian fan will relish the opportunity to cheer for their favorite player one final time.