Brad Marchand coaching N.S. hockey team to help a friend whose daughter died

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill and The Associated Press

Brad Marchand is stepping away from the Florida Panthers to help a friend whose daughter died last week of cancer.

The Hammonds Plains native is serving as a guest coach Wednesday night for the under-18 March and Mill Co. Hunters in his hometown, in place of friend JP MacCallum. Marchand is a co-owner of the team.

The game is a fundraiser for the family after the loss of 10-year-old Selah Panacci-MacCallum and includes a raffle for an autographed Marchand jersey.

“Please join us in celebrating an amazing night at the rink made possible by the ongoing giving nature of a 10 year-old girl that loved the game with all her (heart),” Marchand posted on Instagram.

Marchand missed Florida’s game Tuesday night against Anaheim. Coach Paul Maurice expects Marchand to be available when the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champions face Dallas on Saturday.

Selah’s journey

A fundraiser dedicated to the young girl has garnered over $100,000 for the family as they navigate this loss.

She was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer that forms along the gland above each kidney and can cause abdominal pain. In 2024, she underwent surgery to remove a mass on her right adrenal gland.

However, the cancer returned and spread to her lungs, even with more treatments, the family was faced with the fact that Selah would not be cured. In September, the GoFundMe was created to assist the family as MacCallum and his partner Mara, are both self-employed and have three other children, Szerafina,15, Odin,7 and Oak, 5.

“Selah is a vibrant, wise, and incredibly brave,” the fundraiser reads.

She is being remembered for her passion for hockey, which she continued to support even from the sidelines, her “courage, determination, and passion for life.”

The family all together. (GoFundMe)

Szerafina can be seen lifting her sister Selah. (GoFundMe)