EDMONTON — Even before the 2025 Stanley Cup Final officially began, Brad Marchand was feeling like a champion.
To pass the time during the lengthy five-plus hour playoff flight – likely the longest in North American sports – the Florida Panthers teammates engaged in an epic poker game. Marchand was seen with a sly grin, stacking piles of chips.
“Yeah, I might have cleaned up,” the oldest and most recent addition to the Panthers roster remarked, joking, “The IRS might be coming after me after this one.”
More hands are yet to be played, of course. And much like the Edmonton Oilers, his teammate Sam Bennett is already looking forward to another game.
“We have some long flights ahead where I can get it back,” Bennett cautioned. “Yes, it’s true he won today. But if you ask him about last week, he wasn’t doing so well then.”
Victories and defeats: Marchand holds onto all these experiences.
He cherishes the wins and regrets the losses.
Experiences like seeking revenge or finding inspiration.
And now that the 37-year-old has found himself on a hot streak, joining a championship-contending team midway through the season after leaving a lottery team, he`s fully committed.
While Marchand did win a Stanley Cup in his rookie season in 2011 with Boston, he reached the Final again with the Bruins twice more (2013, 2019) only to face heartbreaking defeats: a Game 6 loss after losing a third-period lead, and a Game 7 defeat on home ice, respectively.
During his nearly 20-minute session with the media, Marchand—known for being both savvy and sometimes mischievous—interestingly didn`t just praise the 2011 win, saying, “I definitely wasn’t too young to enjoy it.” He also openly discussed the painful loss in 2023, reflecting on how small moments on the ice can lead to deep regret.
He specifically referenced that crucial upset series when his Boston Bruins, who had won the Presidents` Trophy and set regular-season records, squandered a 3-1 lead in the first round against the determined Panthers.
Marchand stated, “I keep thinking back to when we lost to Florida a couple of years ago. We really shouldn’t have lost that series – but we did. I missed a breakaway in Game 5 with just seconds left, and the game should have ended right there. So, because of that single play, Bob (Sergei Bobrovsky) making a crucial save, Florida ended up winning. There are small moments like that throughout many series that create opportunities for teams.”
He added, “The longer you participate, the more you understand how difficult it is to win and how many things must align perfectly.”
