“Boston, thank you for always giving Brad and our family so much love.” The Marchands were getting ready for a new beginning in Florida. Which couldn’t have been easy given Brad Marchand had grown roots in Boston for 16 seasons. And for his wife and 3 kids, it was starting a new life in a new city all over again. They hoped it wouldn’t come to this. That the Boston owners would meet them halfway in the contract negotiations for their loyal veteran. But such is the reality of NHL business.
New locker room, new city, and more significantly, new teammates to play with. And not just anyone, but the team he had gone to war against with the Bruins just last year in the playoffs. Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk. Doubts were there about how the trade would turn out. Well, let’s just say Brad Marchand is proving beyond doubt that he is NHL royalty. 2 months after the shocking trade, the 37-year-old Panthers forward a Hall of Fame contender looks like he’s been in Florida for years. And joining the chorus of praises is Katrina Marchand, the Missus, who is proudly telling the world how special her husband is.
Right now, the headlines may be about Marchand’s ejection from their 2-5 win against the Hurricanes. But we will get to that later. If anything, what has gone down at the Lenovo Center shows exactly what a personality Brad Marchand is. The Panthers have really hit the jackpot with the trade, haven’t they? The NHL posted a feature on May 20, highlighting the Canadian’s impact at the Panthers. And guess who loved it? Katrina Marchand. Hey, anything that highlights your special someone.
The next step? She shared it as her story on Instagram, leaving no doubt for the world to see how happy she is to see Marchand doing so well at the Panthers. And doing well would be an understatement. 37 years of age, new surroundings, and yet Brad Marchand has taken the postseason by storm. The way he played the Game 7 against the Maple Leafs – oooff. It was like turning back the clock.
The NHL reel sums up why Brad Marchand is an asset for any team. “You’d love to have a guy like Brad Marchand on your team, because he leads by example, and he’ll drag you into the battle.” He’s always been an all-in player which has also been acknowledged by the Panthers head coach recently in the pregame presser on May 20. “To play the number of games that he’s played, as hard as he’s played, at his size, there’s a compete in that guy.”
And why has the transition been so smooth for the 2011 Stanley Cup winner? Well, because, in a way, Marchand has ended up joining a team who are on the same wavelength as him, be it tactically, strategically, or mentally. “He’s a champion, and that’s exactly what the Florida Panthers are.” NHL’s words, Katrina Marchand’s thumbs up. And we definitely know she would love her husband lifting the 2025 Stanley Cup.
The Panthers are off to a great start in the Conference Championship round, despite the Brad Marchand setback.
Brad Marchand stands ground and gets ejected in Panthers win
7 more wins to go. That’s how the Panthers are dealing with the 2025 playoffs. The Hurricanes tried to match the physicality of the Cats, but Paul Maurice’s men were just too good on the ice. 5-2 win on the road, first blood drawn, perfect start. But hey, don’t expect Brad Marchand to take things lightly; he clearly didn’t like the straight puck from Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, and he let it be known.
NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA Stanley Cup Playoffs-Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs May 5, 2025 Toronto, Ontario, CAN Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand 63 skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period of game one in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto Scotiabank Arena Ontario CAN, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJohnxE.xSokolowskix 20250505_jhp_ss9_0252
The Panthers forward straight away threw down his gloves and the two went off like wrestlers on a mat. And Marchand was vicious as ever. The perfect way to describe Marchand would be a honey badger. They are small, and they are ready to take down anyone, even creatures double-triple their size. And that’s exactly how Marchand was.
Anyway, the refs didn’t take too kindly to it. And gave the Panthers winger two roughing minors and 10 minutes game misconduct. Turns out Marchand wasn’t wrong. Gostisbehere admitted postgame that he did target Marchand. It was just the frustration of being 3 goals down on home ice. They thought they were ready to go face-off with the defending champions. But the gap was visible.
The Panthers have too many winners who get on the ice with the sole purpose of getting the job done. And on the March trade deadline, they added one more such personnel. Which only means peril for the opponent.
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