Brad Marchand Releases Emotional Video Thanking Fans After He Stepped Away From the Panthers

Earlier this week, the Florida Panthers revealed that Brad Marchand was headed for a leave of absence after he suffered some personal tragedy and loss, with the team giving the veteran some time away to deal with that.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the loss was the daughter of a very close friend of Marchand, who is the coach of a junior team in Nova Scotia, with Marchand set to fill in while he helps his friend through this incredibly tough time.

Now, the veteran winger has taken to his personal Instagram to give thanks to the fans that have not only supported him during the tough time, but his friend as well as they go through this, with Marchand helping to set up a GoFundMe to try and get some more support through the community.

Clearly, Marchand is still incredibly emotional as one would expect given how hard the community in Nova Scotia have been hit by this situation, but his continued support for his close friend, the family and the community even with the NHL season rolling on is very admirable from the veteran.

For now, it's unclear when Marchand will return for the Panthers as he is clearly still focused on what's happening in his home province, but as of right now, he's got the full support of the Panthers organization and will return when he is ready when things around this situation finally settle.