Florida Panthers Legend Brad Marchand Notches 1000th Point

When the Florida Panthers made the trade for Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand in March, I foolishly viewed the acquisition as a throwaway one.

The prize of the trade deadline, in my opinion at that time, was Seth Jones.

The Cats were in desperate need of a right-handed D-man to really "tie the room together," so to speak.

So imagine my surprise when, come June, Marchand finished second in Conn Smythe voting and was third on the team with 20 points (and first in ice cream consumption) throughout the Panthers' historic Stanley Cup run.

After signing a lucrative extension in July, it all came full circle last night in Sunrise, where Marchand notched his 1,000th career NHL point.

What a career for this Florida Panthers legend!

In all seriousness, I never thought I'd find myself rooting for Marchy.

The guy was a constant thorn in the side of any team who opposed him, but with the budding rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers, Brad Marchand represented the ultimate antagonist.

He was a real son of a bitch to play against: dirty (in the best way possible) but skilled to boot.

When he came down to South Florida towards the end of the regular season last year, I was skeptical at how he would fit in with the rest of the team.

Chemistry is a real thing in hockey, and this was, more or less, the same team that had just won a Stanley Cup the year before.

Not to mention Marchand had some particularly infamous run-ins with some of the Panthers' players, notably Sam Bennett in the 2024 playoffs.

But, if this clip below tells you anything, Marchy is pretty universally beloved by all his teammates in Sunrise.

From the Dairy Queen trips to the Cup celebration, the man they call "The Rat King" has fit the culture of the Panthers like a glove.

Even the fans who were classically conditioned to hate this man now find themselves embracing him as one of their own.

Now for the age-old question that gets asked whenever a player records 1,000 points in the league: is Brad Marchand a no-doubt Hall of Fame lock?

For what it's worth, I say yes.

Only one player in NHL history has at least 1,000 points and two Stanley Cups to their name without being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame: former New Jersey Devil, Patrik Elias.

Marchand has shown so far this season that he still has plenty left in the tank, leading the Panthers in points and goals while helping the team stay afloat in the absence of Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.

Regardless of whether he ends up in the Hall, we should celebrate the career Marchand has had so far, and will continue to have moving forward.

Congrats, Marchy! Now head on over to Dairy Queen and grab a Blizzard with the boys to celebrate this momentous achievement.

You've earned it!