Former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is one of those guys who will never look right in a different uniform. Even the use of the word "former" feels strange here.
In many ways, Marchand — the diminutive winger whose "rat-like" antics were beloved by Boston fans and hated by everyone else — became synonymous with Bruins hockey over his 15-plus years with the organization. Drafted and developed by Boston, he was a homegrown talent who came into his own with the club, became a 100-point scorer, won a Stanley Cup and earned the captaincy.
It's nearly impossible to put into words what Marchand means to the Bruins and their fans. And yet, in the final moments leading up to the March 7 NHL trade deadline, the Bruins dealt him to the Florida Panthers for a conditional second-round pick in 2027 while retaining half of his salary on the contract set to expire at the end of this season.
But Bruins didn't just trade their beloved captain; they traded him to Florida. In other words, they made one of their most hated rivals better. Now, the Bruins-Panthers rivalry is somewhat of a recent phenomenon that pales in comparison to, say, Red Sox-Yankees; but the Panthers eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs in each of the last two NHL seasons, so the recency bias makes the antagonism between the two teams (and their fanbases) stronger than ever.
The history and culture of all the major Boston professional sports teams – Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots – have long been intertwined. While there is no direct comparable for the Marchand trade in Red Sox lore, there are a few moves that come close – or at least elicit the same sort of visceral reaction from Boston sports fans.
Explaining the Bruins’ Brad Marchand trade in Red Sox terms
Carlton Fisk signs with the White Sox (1981)
After seven All-Star appearances in 11 seasons with the Red Sox, catcher Carlton Fisk signed a five-year contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1981. And he had to change his jersey number to 72, since White Sox pitcher Ken Kravec already wore No. 27. (But fret not; Fisk is wearing a Red Sox cap on his Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown.)
With the Panthers set to visit the Bruins on March 11 — just four days after the NHL trade deadline — the Marchand trade certainly has shades of Fisk, who took the mound on Opening Day in 1981 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Even though Marchand is not expected to play due to injury, he still skated on the TD Garden ice Tuesday morning. In a Panthers jersey. Just brutal.
Johnny Damon signs with the Yankees (2005)
Like Fisk, Johnny Damon is an example of a Red Sox player who chose to sign with another team, rather than getting traded. Unfortunately, he chose the worst team he possibly could.
After claiming he would never sign with the Yankees, Damon did just that during the 2025 offseason, when he agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract. He was booed and called everything from a "Judas" to a "sell-out" by Red Sox fans at the time, though the vitriol has subsided somewhat since then after it was revealed that he never really wanted to leave Boston. Time heals all wounds, after all.
One thing Red Sox fans will never forget, though, is that the Yankees made Damon cut off all his hair and his trademark caveman beard. Insult to injury.
Mookie Betts traded to the Dodgers (2020)
The most comparable move to the Bruins' trade of Marchand in recent Red Sox history would probably be the blockbuster trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers five years ago. (Has it really been that long? The wound still feels fresh.) It was a trade that was lopsided at the time it was made and somehow looks even more lopsided now.
Just one season removed from becoming the only player in American League history to win the World Series, a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger award and the AL MVP in the same season, Betts was flipped to the Dodgers in a franchise-altering swap. Unfortunately, the Red Sox franchise was altered for the worse.
Of course, the year he was traded, Betts went on to help the Dodgers win their first World Series title since 1988. Last year, they won their second. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have made just one postseason since trading Betts, when they advanced to the ALCS in 2021. They have three last-place finishes in five seasons since the trade.
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