Emotional Player Tributes From The Last 10 Years

Earlier this week, left winger Brad Marchand returned to TD Garden, the home of the Boston Bruins, where he spent the first 16 seasons of his career.

This was the first time that Marchand visited Boston as a member of the Florida Panthers. He was traded to the Sunshine State at last season’s trade deadline.

The tribute that the Bruins played for him was extremely emotional, leaving Marchand in tears on the Panthers' bench.

With this moment, we look back and reflect on some of the most emotional and wonderful tributes that players have received when returning to the home of their long-time teams from the last 10 years. This list is in no particular order.

P.K. Subban

P.K. Subban's return to Montreal is known to be one of the most emotional player returns in NHL history. Subban was a fan favorite and was truly embraced in every big moment with the Montreal Canadiens.

Subban played seven seasons for the Canadiens before he was dealt to the Nashville Predators. Across those seven years, he played 434 games with the team, scoring 63 goals and 278 points. 

When it was time to return to the Bell Centre, it was impossible to bottle up the emotions. Throughout the tribute video, fans were on their feet, applauding the way through. Following the video, the Habs fans were roaring with cheers as Subban had tears running down his face. The ovation for the defenseman continued as everyone chanted “P.K.”

Marc-Andre Fleury

There are multiple moments of recognition and appreciation that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury received over the last few years. Most recently, his last professional hockey game during a pre-season matchup for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

However, the first time he returned to Pittsburgh was when he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. After playing 13 years and winning three Stanley Cups for the Penguins, he was selected in the expansion draft by Vegas in 2017.  

Later in that 2017-18 season, Fleury returned to PPG Paints Arena and received an abundance of love from the Pittsburgh fans. Like Subban, the crowd chanted “Fleury” in addition to a lengthy ovation.

Patrick Kane

After 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning three Stanley Cups and several individual trophies, Patrick Kane was traded to the New York Rangers sometime before the 2023 trade deadline.

However, it wouldn’t be until the next season that Kane would pay a visit to his old home at the United Center in Chicago. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, he had signed with the Detroit Red Wings in free agency. 

The right winger had to wait until Feb. 25 for his return to Chicago, but he made the most of the moment. 

After several minutes of the crowd acknowledging Kane with a standing ovation, he would later become the hero for the Red Wings. Kane went on to score the overtime-winner against the Blackhawks on a breakaway, in Kane-like fashion.

With several Blackhawks fans celebrating his goal from the Red Wings, Kane yelled “showtime” multiple times after his goal to cap off a memorable night for him.

Patrick Marleau

Despite being the record holder for most games played in the San Jose Sharks franchise history, Patrick Marleau did not return to the team following the 2016-17 season. Instead, he signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017 free agency.

There wasn’t a doubt that a player who played as many games as he had for the Sharks across 19 straight campaigns was going to get a big tribute by the organization and fans in his return to San Jose.

After spending a couple of seasons in Toronto, he went back to San Jose as a free agent in 2019. He was traded to Pittsburgh later in the season, but rejoined his beloved Sharks the following season again before calling it a career.

Joe Pavelski

Another longtime member of the Sharks who had a memorable return to San Jose would be Joe Pavelski.

Pavelski spent 13 seasons with the Sharks, a key figure on the team that got close to winning a Stanley Cup, but couldn’t quite get there in the end. He went on to score 761 points for the club and was the team’s captain for four seasons.

As he got older, San Jose became less competitive, and he joined the Dallas Stars for the 2019-20 campaign. In that season, he advanced to the Cup final for the second time in his career.

Nonetheless, when he returned to the SAP Center for the first time as an opponent, the fans treated him as if he never left. Pavelski received a heartwarming ovation from Sharks fans, showing their gratitude for everything Pavelski did for the franchise. 

Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi And J.T. Miller

Defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, and center J.T. Miller played multiple seasons together on the New York Rangers. McDonagh played eight seasons, Girardi played 11, and Miller played five.

Ahead of the 2017-18 trade deadline, McDonagh and Miller were both traded in a package to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, Girardi signed with Tampa Bay later in the off-season.

Therefore, the return for the trio of players lined up at the same time, and with that, the Rangers played a tribute video for all three players.

The three of them watched from outside of their team’s bench, and Girardi, the longest tenured Ranger of the three, was in tears by the time the crowd gave them their cheers at Madison Square Garden.

Zdeno Chara

When you think of the Boston Bruins, one of the faces that should pop up in your mind is defenseman Zdeno Chara.

Chara was an iconic figure in the NHL and for the Bruins, standing at 6-foot-9 and with one of the heaviest slapshots the game has seen. Not to mention, he captained Boston for 14 seasons and led them to a Stanley Cup in 2011.

In 2020-21, Chara and the Bruins moved on as the Slovakian signed with the Washington Capitals the following season. 

Unfortunately for Chara, he wouldn’t receive the recognition and ovation he deserved because when he returned to Boston for the first time, the NHL wasn’t allowing fans to attend games during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, they incorporated fans sending video messages to Chara on the videoboard to incorporate some sort of appreciation of Chara’s time in Beantown.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.