SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand scooped up a couple of the toy plastic rats that Florida Panthers fans throw down to the ice to celebrate wins, skating off with them as souvenirs from his first game with the club.
Seemed fitting. He set up the goal that made them fly.
Marchand's perfect pass to Sam Bennett set up an overtime goal, an assist that capped a 2-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club in his debut with the Panthers. He's been with Florida for three weeks since being traded by Boston but hadn't been able to play until now while recovering from an upper-body injury.
“Every day that goes by, feeling much more comfortable and much more a part of the group," Marchand said. "And when you play and you’re in everything day to day, it definitely helps that happen quicker. So, yeah, I’m excited to continue to build with the group here.”
Marchand was greeted by plenty of fans around the ice during warm-ups and even flicked a puck into the stands toward one group to give them a keepsake. He got the loudest reception of any of Florida’s skaters when the game-opening unit was announced.
It was the first time in 1,091 NHL games, 1,248 when adding in playoff contests, that Marchand took the ice in something other than a Bruins sweater. Marchand was on Florida’s second line with Bennett and Mackie Samoskevich — who grew up in New England watching Marchand play for the Bruins.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Samoskevich said of playing with Marchand. “He’s such a good player. So silky. I feel like when he has the puck, he sees you — he’s got eyes in the back of his head. It’s a lot of fun. Excited for the future with him. He’s such a good guy off the ice, too.”
Marchand set up the winner — Bennett's second goal of the night — from behind the net, waiting for his new linemate and former adversary to get to the right spot in the slot. Bennett flicked the puck to his backhand, and just like that, Florida was 1-0-0 in the Marchand era.
“Seems like they played together the whole season,” Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said.
Marchand had 21 goals and 26 assists in 61 games with the Bruins this season, and Panthers coach Paul Maurice said when the deal got done that Marchand, he believes, helps fill what Florida will need in its playoff run and its quest to win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
“He's had an incredible career," Maurice said. "He's a Stanley Cup champion, 1,000 games, 1,000 penalty minutes, lots of points. I don't want to see it all in one game. ... You know how tenacious this guy is, how physical he is, how hard he plays. Then you get him in practice and you're like, ‘Oh my God, he’s got hands on him.' And you start to realize how good the skill level is there.”
It may have been strange at first, with the former captain of the Bruins wearing Florida colors after those teams had tough playoff battles — both won by the Panthers — in 2023 and 2024. But by all accounts, Marchand has fit perfectly into the Florida mix.
“He brings a lot of energy to the locker room, a lot of compete on the ice,” said Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling, who got the second assist on Bennett's winner. “A huge veteran that’s going to be big for us.”
Marchand said it wasn't unusual pulling on a red sweater instead of one in Bruins colors. His new world, he said, hit him when he went onto the ice for warm-ups.
“It was odd when I stepped on the ice," Marchand said. "That was the first time it kind of hit me. Going out there and being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different. But it’s a great feeling. It's not often that you get to be part of a group like this. And I’ve been on a lot of teams throughout the years. And you know when you have something special. You know when you walk into a special room. And that’s what they have here and it's what you want to be part of.”
Now, back to those rats.
Marchand — who has been showered with them more than once after Florida got home wins over his Bruins — had absolutely no idea what they signify in Panthers history. He just picked them up because his kids asked about them. He actually wondered if they're some sort of tribute to injured Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.
That is not the case.
The rats go back to the 1995-96 season, when Florida's Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room with his stick before opening night and then scored two goals in that game. “Rat trick” was the phrase coined that night, and the rats have been part of Florida lore ever since.
And now, he's part of that history.
“It's just nice to get out there and feel like you're part of it,” Marchand said.
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