Florida Panthers veteran Brad Marchand is stepping away from the team just 11 games into the season to help a friend whose daughter died of cancer.
Marchand, 37, took a leave of absence from the team to return to his home of Halifax, Nova Scotia and step in as a coach for his friend JP MacCallum, whose daughter, Selah, died at age 10 last Friday, October 24, after a year-long battle with cancer.
“I just wanted to send a video out here and thank all of you that have supported,” the two-time Stanley Cup winner said, thanking followers for contributing to a GoFundMe for Selah’s family, in a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, October 29. “We have been trying to raise money with the GoFundMe for Selah and JP and [his wife] Mara and their family as well as the raffle that we have going on right now which is open til 8 pm tomorrow.”
Marchand served as head coach of the March and Mill Co. Hunters, a team he co-owns and that MacCallum normally coaches. He was joined by four friends behind the bench.
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“For those of you who don’t know, the reason that all of us, myself and the four friends, were behind the bench tonight coaching JP’s game, the Hunters, is because Selah loved hockey,” Marchand said. “She loved her dad’s team more than anything. She loved going to the games. She was always there supporting them.”
He continued, “The five of us all shared a very deep bond with Selah. We’ve known her from the day she was born. We’ve loved her since then and there’s no time that the five of us ever would have really been together for an opportunity like that, to coach this team, and coach together, and Selah would have loved nothing more than to see us behind that bench together.”
The game also served as a fundraiser for Selah’s family, with Marchand providing a signed jersey for an online raffle. The GoFundMe set up for the family has raised more than $100,000 as of Thursday morning.
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“The only reason the five of us are home right now is because of her passing, so we felt it was appropriate and something that Selah would have loved, to see us all behind the bench tonight and honoring her in that way,” Marchand said. “Selah was an incredible, incredible girl. Full of so much love and 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 and showing JP and Mara and their family love and support during this time.”
The Hunters compete in the Nova Scotia Under-18 Hockey League, where Marchand and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby once played.
“This gesture reflects the true spirit of the hockey community in Nova Scotia, one built on compassion, loyalty, and connection that extends far beyond the rink,” league president Paul Graham said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with JP, his loved ones, and the entire Hunters organization.”
