BOSTON (WHDH) - Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand didn’t hesitate to help out an old friend.
“Selah would have loved nothing more than to see us behind that bench together,” Marchand said.
Marchand, who is now a member of the Florida Panthers, took a quick break from the NHL to take on a new role as a volunteer coach.
“We felt it was appropriate, and something Selah would have loved,” Marchand said.
Marchand went back home to Halifax, Nova Scotia with a group of friends to get behind the bench in support of his longtime friend and trainer, JP MacCallum.
MacCallum’s 10-year-old daughter died of cancer.
“The five of us all shared a very deep bond with Selah,” Marchand said. “We’ve known her since the day she was born. We’ve lover her since then.”
“Selah was an incredible, incredible girl,” Marchand said. “Full of so much love.”
The guest coaches stepped up so MacCallum could take time away from coaching to be with his family.
“There’s no time that the five of us ever would have really been together for an opportunity like that, to coach this, and to coach together,” Marchand said.
The game on Wednesday night served as a fundraiser for the family and included a raffle for an autographed Marchand jersey.
More importantly, it was a chance for the community to rally behind the MacCallum family.
“Selah loved hockey, she loved her dad’s team more than anything. She loved going to the games she was always there supporting them,” Marchand said.
Marchand said that getting to see her dad’s friends coach his team would have brought a smile to Selah’s face.
“It was an honor to have been in her life and to know her, so I just want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for supporting her and showing her love,” Marchand said.
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