EDMONTON — Even before the 2025 Stanley Cup Final officially begins, Brad Marchand feels like he`s already come out on top.
To pass the time during the lengthy five-plus hour playoff charter flight – one of the longest in North American sports series – an epic poker game took place among the Florida Panthers teammates. Marchand still sports the knowing grin of someone who significantly padded his chip stack.
“Yeah, I might have cleaned up,” the team`s oldest and newest player admitted. “The IRS might be looking for me after this one.”
Naturally, more hands will be dealt in the future. And much like the Edmonton Oilers, teammate Sam Bennett is already anticipating a chance to win back some money.
“We`ve got some long flights ahead of us to get it back,” Bennett warned. “Yes, it`s true (Marchand won) today. But if you ask him about a week ago, he didn`t do so well then.”
Marchand cherishes every victory and every defeat.
He holds onto moments of triumph and regrets missed opportunities.
Fueled by a desire for redemption and fresh inspiration,
The 37-year-old veteran feels completely committed (“all in”) to the Panthers` deep playoff run, having joined the team mid-season from a squad that didn`t make the postseason.
While he secured a Stanley Cup ring in his debut full NHL season with Boston in 2011, he subsequently reached the Final twice more with the Bruins (in 2013 and 2019), only to suffer heartbreaking losses: one after blowing a third-period lead in Game 6 and the other a devastating Game 7 defeat on home ice.
During his nearly 20-minute session at media day, it was notable that Marchand—whose wisdom often matches his mischievous reputation—not only spoke fondly of the 2011 victory (“I definitely wasn`t too young to enjoy it”) but also voluntarily brought up the pain of the 2023 loss. He highlighted how seemingly small moments can accumulate into significant regret.
He specifically referred to the pivotal upset series where the Bruins, who had won the Presidents’ Trophy and set a regular-season record, surprisingly lost their first-round matchup to the determined Panthers after holding a 3-1 series lead.
“I keep going back to when we lost to Florida a couple years ago. Like, we never should have lost that series — but we did,” Marchand reflected. “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.”
He concluded, “The longer you’re in it, you realize how hard it is to win and how many things need to go right and just how perfect everything needs to line up.”
