“Marchand was going to hit 1000 points with the Bruins. Only 24 points away,” lamented a Bruins fan. The netizen had every reason to feel upset. Brad Marchand’s last-minute trade stunned the NHL universe. What’s worse? It was an unceremonious end to more than 15 years in the Bruins’ jersey that saw Marchand play a whopping 1090 NHL games for the team.

Naturally, donning a different jersey, that too of their fiercest division rivals, for the first time must have felt different. That’s exactly what reporters thought when asked the NHL veteran to describe how it felt skating on the ice as a Panther. “It was odd when I stepped on the ice. That was the first time I kind of… It kind of hit me,” Marchand said about his Florida Panthers debut.

Being cheered by the fan base that had rooted against him for over one and a half decades almost felt alien. “Going out there and being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different,” Brad Marchand told reporters in the locker room after the game. Yet, no matter how different it felt, it didn’t take long for the former Bruin to start enjoying it.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s not often that you get to be part of a group like this,” explained the NHL icon. The veteran drew on his experience to say the Panthers “have something special,” going on. While the 36-year-old expressed his desire to stay with the Bruins, he and the team couldn’t get past the hurdles in contract negotiations.

And although the 4 Nations Face-Off winner had to wait around for a while before making his Panthers debut, he saw the Bruins go into a downward spiral. Despite making sweeping changes to their roster, the Boston Bruins have all but lost their chance of making the NHL playoffs. Meanwhile, the ice hockey veteran has become a member of the defending champions.

Brad Marchand makes a debut worthy of the champions

While an upper-body injury delayed the Canadian hockey icon’s debut for the Panthers, any fan would agree it was well worth the wait. That’s because the NHL forward had a massive impact on the Panthers in his debut. How big of an impact, you ask? Try a game-winning assist during overtime level of impact.

After finding, it quite difficult to beat a tenacious Penguins side, who took them all the way to the shootouts earlier this week, the Panthers were once again struggling tonight, against Utah. Florida entered overtime for the second match in a row, with each scoring a goal a piece. And just when it looked like they were heading to another shootout, Brad Marchand made the difference.

The Panthers forward snatched the puck behind the net and placed the puck perfectly for Sam Bennett. Marchand’s fellow forward wasted absolute time taking the close-range shot, which found its way to the back of the net. With just 40 seconds left on the clock, the Marchand and Bennet combined to give the Panthers the win. So it’s no wonder the 36-year-old said: “I feel very fortunate and excited to be part of this group.”