Ex-Bruins captain Brad Marchand wins Stanley Cup with Panthers

“I actually don’t suppose we win a Stanley Cup with out him.”

Brad Marchand received his second Stanley Cup on Tuesday evening. (AP Photograph/Lynne Sladky)

June 18, 2025 | 6:28 AM

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Fourteen years after serving to the Boston Bruins win a Stanley Cup as a pugnacious rookie, Brad Marchand lastly bought to hoist hockey’s best prize as soon as once more.

Besides this time, the 37-year-old ahead wasn’t donning a black-and-gold sweater.

Marchand’s whirlwind season got here to a detailed on Tuesday evening in Dawn, Florida — with the previous Bruins captain serving to the Panthers win their second straight Stanley Cup by the use of a 5-1 clinching victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

“I undoubtedly recognize it far more,” Marchand advised ESPN postgame of successful a second Stanley Cup. “I imply, once you enter your first yr you don’t perceive how troublesome it’s and the trials and tribulations you need to go [through] to be a part of one thing like this. And I’ve embraced each second of this. It’s been unbelievable.”

Florida’s six-game triumph towards the Oilers makes the Panthers the primary workforce to win back-to-back titles because the Penguins completed the feat in 2016 and 2017.

Regardless that Marchand was a late addition to the Panthers after Boston made the decision to commerce him, the long run Corridor-of-Famer performed a necessary function in serving to Florida repeat.

After trudging via a misplaced season in Boston and struggling an harm weeks forward of the NHL commerce deadline, Marchand performed a number of the finest hockey of his profession after finally becoming a member of Florida’s lineup in late Marchand.

Marchand closed out Florida’s playoff run with 20 factors (10 targets, 10 assists) in 23 video games, whereas scoring the sport winner in each of the Panthers’ time beyond regulation video games (Recreation 3 vs. Toronto and Recreation 2 vs. Oilers).

Each of these tallies got here at crucial moments — serving to Florida keep away from falling right into a 3-0 sequence deficit towards Toronto within the second spherical whereas later stopping Edmonton from taking the primary two video games on dwelling ice in the course of the Stanley Cup Remaining.

Together with submitting a three-point efficiency in Recreation 7 towards Toronto, Marchand was a monster in the course of the six-game set towards the Oilers — scoring six targets within the sequence.

Since 1980, solely three gamers acquired on the NHL commerce deadline scored extra factors with their new workforce in the course of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Marian Hossa, Mikko Rantanen, and Marian Gaborik) than Marchand’s 20 factors.

“What he’s meant to this workforce. … I actually don’t suppose we win a Stanley Cup with out him,” former foe Sam Bennett stated of Marchand postgame. “His management, his will to win, it’s inspiring. I used to be telling him earlier than each recreation, ‘We’re going to observe you.’ And we did. He was a canine each evening.”

Marchand can have some choices to make within the coming weeks as a pending free agent who must be in land to safe a hefty pay day. However for now, the previous Bruins winger is relishing reaching the summit in professional hockey after an prolonged absence.

“You by no means know the way issues are going to play out,” Marchand stated, per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. “I simply wished to come back in and purchase in and be a part of the group and play no matter function I used to be put in and do it to the most effective I probably can. While you stroll into this room and also you see what guys are placing themselves via each day to organize and to sacrifice and the way dialed in they’re, you simply type of observe go well with.

“They’ve constructed an unbelievable tradition on this room. It’s very simple to observe. And once you do this, you simply go away all of it on the ice. Now we have a superb workforce, so good issues occur in right here and we’ve got a whole lot of enjoyable.”