NHL star Brad Marchand made a surprise appearance at a Halifax under-18 hockey game Wednesday night to support an old friend whose young daughter recently died.
JP MacCallum is the head trainer of the March and Mill Company Hunters, but is taking time to mourn his 10-year-old daughter, Selah Panacci-MacCallum, who died after a battle with cancer.
Marchand, a forward for the Florida Panthers, is in the middle of the NHL regular season, but said he didn’t hesitate to return home and replace MacCallum on the bench.
“It’s a very devastating moment. Selah was an incredible girl with so much love and joy and she touched so many people’s lives,” Marchand told CBC News Wednesday night. “So I had to be there for them.”
Selah passed away on Friday. Marchand said she was sick for a long time, but she was a fighter.
“She had such a big heart and she was so strong. She had an incredible group of friends and family around her and she lived life to the fullest and she had a huge impact on my life, my family’s life, my kids, and we all grew to love her so much,” Marchand said.
More than a thousand people attended the Halifax Forum on Wednesday night to support the family.
Marchand said he has been friends with JP for 25 years and wouldn’t be where he is today without him.
“We have become like brothers and our families are extremely close. He has been through all the great moments, all the difficult moments, he has been there for me. He has been there every step of the way,” Marchand said.
Marchand said the Panthers supported his decision to return home for his friend.
“They basically said go home and come back when you’re ready,” he said.
The game was a fundraiser, and proceeds from the bake sale and 50-50 raffle went to Selah’s family. There will also be a t-shirt auction.
Paul Graham, president of the U18 Major Hockey League, said it was surprising to see so many people supporting Selah’s family, but not surprising.
“Especially Nova Scotia hockey players and alumni, that’s what we do. We support each other,” Graham said.
Graham said Marchand dropped everything to support MacCullum shows deep respect for his home community and the people who helped him.
“Brad is a stakeholder in that team…he’s the title sponsor of that team and he’s an alumnus of our league and he hasn’t forgotten where he came from,” Graham said.
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