Brad Marchand wanted to remain a Bruin. That much he made clear on Monday to reporters in Florida, a message from which he had never wavered in the months and weeks leading up to Friday’s trade deadline.
He did not get his wish, even after a reported face-to-face meeting with GM Don Sweeney that he requested last week prior to the deadline before Sweeney sent him to his desired location of Sunrise, Florida with the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
But in his first presser as a Panther, he showed no bitterness to Sweeney or the Bruins. In fact, it was quite the opposite reaction in a moment that was equal parts emotion and pragmatism. He also lavished praise on Sweeney, who has been taking plenty of heat here for trading a player whose No. 63 will be raised to the Garden rafters some day.
“I’ve had an incredible run in that organization and I’m extremely proud…of how things went there,” said Marchand, fighting back tears.
“It was very disappointing that things didn’t get done because obviously I love the organization. I wanted to stay there. But at the end of the day, I also know that business is 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 that are out of our control that dictate situations. If we were in the playoffs in that point in time, we’d probably be having a much different conversation and I know that. It’s something we had talked about previously. And we weren’t.
“And at that point, some very tough decision had to be made. And the one thing that I always respect – and I told Cam (Neely) and Sweens this – they have a job to do and they have to make the best decisions for the team. I completely understand where the decision need to be made. Yeah, 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 for a very long time excel at his job. And for those who are in the organization and know the effort that he puts in every day and 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.
“Every guy has their day and it’s obviously not what you want to have happen. And I don’t hold that against him or the group. It’s part of life and it’s part of the game. But also, he did create this opportunity for me to be here. So I am grateful beyond words for everything that organization has done for me.”
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