Copyright MassLive
Brad Marchand took a leave of absence from the Florida Panthers to help his longtime friend through a tragedy. The Panthers star returned to his hometown Halifax, Nova Scotia to coach the March and Mill Co. Hunters to support coach and trainer JP MacCallum, whose 10-year-old daughter, Selah, died of cancer. Marchand co-owns the youth hockey team with former Boston Bruins teammate Kevan Miller. “It’s tough,” Marchand told High Button Sports prior to the game. “The only reason I’m back here is because something extremely tragic has happened. A beautiful life has been lost. My bond with JP goes back many years. We have a group of guys that are all here this evening. We grew up together. Our lives have been crossed for many, many years. There’s no place that I’d be other than here right now. I’m here to support him and his family. “The community around here is very special,” he continued. “The hockey community is very small and they take care of one another.” The game was used to honor Selah and help raise funds for her family. Marchand donated a signed Panthers jersey that will be raffled off. “She loved all of us. She loved being part of this organization with with her dad,” Marchand said of Selah. “She’d be very proud we’re all supporting her tonight and supporting her dad.”
