After Brad Marchand re-signed for six years, Florida Panthers fans can’t help but dream about a dynasty being born. However, the veteran winger dropped a bold admission hinting the Stanley Cup isn’t his main obsession for the upcoming NHL campaign.
Marchand shocked the NHL last season with an all-time performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vintage might not be the most fitting word to describe his production, because the 37-year-old unlocked a whole new level with the Panthers.
As a result, Florida decided the veteran wasn’t going anywhere. After hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career, Marchand signed a six-year, $31.5 million deal to keep him put in Sunrise. Now, fans in South Florida hope Marchand and the Cats will continue to dominate the league. However, Marchand himself admitted he’s mostly focused on another objective than the Cup. Instead, he vies to join Team Canada in the 2026 Olympics.
“When I’m training and I want to quit [the Olympics are] what come into my mind,” Marchand said, via NHL.com. “It’s been like that for years. Every day is an opportunity to show that you belong on that team. It’s every day in the summer with the guys you compete with and it’s going to be every day moving forward.
Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers takes questions from the media.
“Obviously, you’re competing every day with your team to build something to try to chase the Cup and that’s a long process that you go through every year, but when you’re by yourself and you’re pushing for moments and pushing to get better, that’s the goal.”
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Adulthood dream
Marchand’s obsession with the Olympics isn’t new—quite the opposite, in fact. Still, it wasn’t always his dream. He never truly considered the possibility of playing on that stage until the NHL allowed its players to participate. Ever since, the thought hasn’t left his mind for a second.
“You grow up and you dream of playing in the NHL,” Marchand admitted. “Like, I never once thought about playing in the Olympics. It was never something I ever could have imagined would happen. But then to get into a position where you may have that opportunity, played for a long time, and it still hasn’t happened, it would be nothing short of a dream come true.”
Surgery decision
Marchand has had his eyes fixed on the 2026 Olympics for quite a while now. On that note, the Panthers’ forward made a bold decision last year, back when he was still the Boston Bruins’ captain.
“I had to pick last summer or this summer to do [the surgeries],” Marchand commented. “I knew I had to do them and it affected my whole season last year. I knew it would.
“I knew at my age I wouldn’t have the same bounce back rate I had in the past. I knew it would be like that, but I wanted to have the ability to be prepared for this season, so I sacrificed the start of last season to make sure I was ready for this one.“
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It certainly panned out just fine for Marchand. Albeit a slow start and dramatic months with the Spoked B, Marchand ended the season with yet another championship ring on his hand, and his name etched once more onto Lord Stanley’s base.
