Bruins fans, Marchand, show incredible class ahead of game on Sunday.

There is nothing I love more in the National Hockey League than a good rivalry, one motivated by genuine animosity and even hatred between the players and teams involved. There is perhaps no rivalry in the history of the NHL that does a better job of representing this than the one between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, a rivalry that likely predates the birth of anyone that will read this article today.

While it is great for the fans to see that animosity play out on the ice, it is always important to remember that your opponents are human beings as well as tremendous competitors and for both of those reasons it is important to always show respect regardless of how much bad blood there may be.

On Sunday afternoon, fans in Boston did exactly that when they showed tremendous class by welcoming a longtime and bitter rival to TD Garden. Legendary Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden was invited onto the ice for a ceremonial puck drop ahead of the game and I am happy to report that he received a loud cheer from the Bruins faithful in Boston as they showed tremendous respect for someone that battled their team for so many years.

Of course it should come as no surprise that the cheer for Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk was even louder when he was introduced for the ceremonial puck drop alongside Dryden.

The displays of class did not end there however with Bruins captain Brad Marchand displaying a great deal of class as well when he showed genuine concern for the aforementioned Bucyk. Bucyk was using a cane to get into position for the ceremonial puck drop but Marchand would come skating over to give him a helping hand which resulted in both Marchand and Dryden escorting the Bruins legend along the carpet that had been laid out on the ice.

In fact both Marchand and Dryden would repeat the gesture when the ceremonial puck drop was done, making for a truly beautiful image that really encapsulates the respect these two franchises have for one another in spite of their tremendous rivalry over the years.

Here's a look at the video of the puck drop itself: