Panthers pay tribute to Brad Marchand's 1,000th NHL point

Brad Marchand's first NHL point came just 26 seconds into the second period of his first game with the Boston Bruins. It seemed very easy, so easy that he was certain he'd be all over the scoresheets on a regular basis.

Oops. Nearly a full year passed before his second NHL point.

"After the first, I'm like, 'Oh, this, it's not too hard,"' Marchand said. "But I had a pretty rude awakening after that. You just see how hard it is every night to play in this league."

He has never forgotten the lessons that came after that first point, what it was like to go scoreless in 21 consecutive games, how it felt to get sent down from Boston to the team's minor league affiliate in nearby Providence. And they were still in mind Tuesday night, when the Florida Panthers — who acquired him in a trade last season — paid tribute to Marchand joining the NHL's 1,000-point club in a pre-game ceremony before playing host to the Montreal Canadiens.

Marchand hit the milestone more than a month ago; the Panthers let him and his family choose when they wanted to have the ceremony, and this game was the pick. Flowers were presented to Marchand's wife and mother, gold mini-sticks were presented to his three children. The NHL sent a Tiffany crystal to present to Marchand, and he got a commemorative gold stick and plaque from Panthers hockey operations president and general manager Bill Zito as well.

Several NHL coaches and players sent video tributes as well, including many of his former Bruins teammates as well as Pittsburgh star and fellow Nova Scotian Sidney Crosby.

"Super proud of you," former Bruins teammate Zdeno Chara said.

Marchand watched the ceremony from a corner of the ice, surrounded by family.

"I have all my family in town," Marchand