NHL star Brad Marchand made a surprise appearance at a Halifax U18 hockey game on Wednesday night to support a long-time friend whose young daughter died recently.

JP MacCallum is the head coach of the March and Mill Company Hunters, but he's taking time away to mourn his 10-year-old daughter, Selah Panacci-MacCallum, who died after a battle with cancer.

Marchand, a forward with the Florida Panthers, is in the thick of the regular NHL season — but said he didn't hesitate to come home and fill in for MacCallum on the bench.

"It's a very devastating time. Selah was an incredible girl with so much love and joy and touched so many people's lives," Marchand told CBC News on Wednesday night. "So I had to be there for them."

Selah passed away on Friday. Marchand said she was sick for a long t

See Full Page