Bryan Marchment, a feared enforcer who played almost 1,000 NHL games over the course of 17 seasons and the father of Florida Panthers’ forward Mason, has died.
March was 53.
Marchment was an amateur scout with the San Jose Sharks — a team he played the bulk of his NHL career with — and was in Montreal preparing for the upcoming NHL Draft when he passed away.
”It is heartbreaking,” Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito said from his team headquarters in Montreal.
“Obviously our thoughts and prayers go out to Mason and his family … it is horrible and I just cannot express our prayers and thoughts enough. It certainly puts this game into perspective. I met Bryan a couple of times, did not really know him, but the (hockey) world here is shocked. So many at the GM meetings had such nice things to say about Bryan.”
Mason Marchment has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Panthers after being acquired in a trade with Toronto in 2020.
He had a breakout season with Florida this year, scoring 18 goals with 47 points in 54 games.
A pending free agent, the Panthers are working with Mason on a new contract although he could sign with another team as early as next week.
In March, Mason Marchment visited San Jose as a player for the first time when the Panthers took on the Sharks.
In speaking with Florida Hockey Now, Bryan Marchment talked about his son’s development and the long road it took for him to make it to the NHL.
Mason Marchment was not drafted after starting to play hockey much later than his contemporaries.
But he worked hard at the game — and it paid off.
“He has, by far, come a lot farther of a way than I thought he was going to,” Bryan Marchment said.
“I’m very proud of him.”
NHL Insider Kevin Weekes was first to report Marchment’s death.
This story will be updated