Edmonton, AB – Even before the 2025 Stanley Cup Final begins, veteran forward Brad Marchand feels like he`s already a big winner.
To help pass the five-plus hours on the lengthy playoff charter flight – one of the longest in North American sports – the Florida Panthers players engaged in an epic poker game. Marchand still wears the sly grin of someone who clearly won big, pulling stacks of chips towards himself.
“Yeah, I might have cleaned up,” the oldest and newest Panther commented humorously. “The IRS might be looking for me after this one.”
More “hands” are yet to be dealt on the ice, of course. And similar to their opponent, the Edmonton Oilers, teammate Sam Bennett is already eager for a rematch in poker after Marchand`s recent success.
“We have some long flights ahead to get it back,” Bennett warned, acknowledging Marchand`s win today. “But if you ask him about a week ago, he wasn`t doing so hot then.”
Marchand reflects on all his past hockey experiences – the victories and the defeats.
He cherishes the wins and holds onto the regrets.
Seeking revenge from past losses and drawing inspiration from them.
Now that the 37-year-old finds himself on a hot team, having transitioned mid-season from a non-playoff squad to a championship contender, he feels completely committed.
While Marchand did win a Stanley Cup in his first full NHL season back in 2011 with Boston, he reached the Final again with the Bruins twice more (2013, 2019) only to suffer devastating losses: blowing a third-period lead in Game 6 and losing a Game 7 on home ice, respectively.
During his media availability for nearly 20 minutes, it was notable that Marchand – as shrewd as he is skilled – not only spoke fondly of the 2011 triumph (“I definitely wasn’t too young to enjoy it”) but also voluntarily brought up the pain of the 2023 loss, illustrating how seemingly small moments can escalate into significant disappointment.
This referred to the pivotal upset series where Marchand’s Boston Bruins, having won the Presidents’ Trophy and set a regular-season wins record, lost a 3-1 first-round series lead to the determined Florida Panthers.
“I keep thinking about losing to Florida a couple years ago,” Marchand stated. “Like, we never should have lost that series — but we did. I missed a breakaway in Game 5 with a couple seconds left, and it should’ve been over right there. So, that one play, Bob (Sergei Bobrovsky) making a big save, Florida ends up winning. And there’s little moments like that through all kinds of series that create these opportunities for teams.”
“The longer you’re involved in this, the more you realize how incredibly difficult it is to win and how many things must go right, and just how perfectly everything needs to line up.”
Tristan Blackwood