Patrice Bergeron just thanked Brad Marchand, now a Panther, from the Hockey Hall of Fame stage tonight.
It was Bergeron's night, but the Panthers have a stake in it too. His Hall of Fame speech reached back to the Bruins years, and Florida's winger got a mention.
Bergeron started with Zdeno Chara, his captain of 14 years. Then came the second name, and Belle Fraser posted the moment.
"My left winger for most of my career." That is how Bergeron described Marchand, and he said he wanted to thank him personally.
Marchand was there to hear it. The Hockey News noted that he made it to the building on Bergeron's big night.
Together, the two combined for 2,016 points in 2,384 games with the Bruins. On his own, Marchand has 452 goals and 1,035 points in 1,154 NHL games, and a lot of that was built next to the man being honored tonight.
Where Marchand's season stands in Florida
Marchand has played only 2 games for the Panthers this season, with 1 goal and no assists. He is listed on injured reserve with a knee injury, expected to be out until at least Nov. 21, according to the latest injury report.
Florida fans have been following this for days. We reported on Brad Marchand's longer absence on Friday, and he traveled with the team last week.
A night like this one reminds you what he is worth to a room, and the Panthers have not had much of him yet. They lost 4-1 in Boston on Sunday and have dropped two straight. They are at Columbus on Tuesday.
Quick hits
NEW YORK ISLANDERSAndrew Gross reports that Ilya Sorokin gets the call in net in San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov will be at the other end for the Sharks, so it's a goalie matchup worth watching.
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