It’s been less than a month since former Bruins captain, Brad Marchand, was traded to the Florida Panthers, and he is already making waves and winning! In the very first game Marchand played for the Panthers against Utah, he managed to land an assist to Sam Bennett with 41.1 seconds left in overtime and spoke out about the win in a much-awaited post match interview. Ever since that infamous Marchand trade—where the video of Don Sweeney casually breaking the news to an aghast team in the coaching suite went viral—fans have been keen to hear how Brad Marchand is finding his time in Florida, and now we finally know.
The star left winger seems to be loving it! Speaking fondly of his time with the team, Marchand commented on the ease of the transition and how the coaching staff was, “awesome,’” adding, “They brought me in for all the meetings and pregames, so I could just kind of get accustomed to the way they did things around here.”
On adjusting to life in Florida, Marchand said that there were still some things he was getting used to. “This is the first time I’ve done a pregame skate at home, and the schedule is a lot different than even what it was on the road, so, even, you know, little things like that, that you’re not accustomed to.” He, however, added soon after that, “Every day that goes by, feeling much more comfortable and much more part of the group. And when you play and you’re in everything day to day, it definitely helps that happen quicker.”
Marchand also spoke about his teammates, adding, “It’s a great group to come into, everybody is so welcoming, really great group in the room, which made the transition very easy.” Of the win, Marchand was sure to state the obvious, that it feels, “Very good to win.” also adding that it’s, “Nice to get out there and feel like a part of it,” after his almost month long hiatus from the game on account of his injury. He also had some special words of praise for his teammate Sam Bennett, who scored that winning goal with Marchand’s assist.
Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, the new power duo for Florida?
Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, who played together for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face Off, used to, believe it or not, be rivals! It all started in game 3 of the Eastern Conference second round matchup last year, when Bennett swung a controversial hit on Marchand. The hit sidelined him for two games with an upper-body injury, but he returned for Game 6—only to watch the Panthers take the win! However, now, as teammates, things seem to be taking a whole new direction, with Bennet catching Marchand’s pass from behind the net to hit it in past Utah’s Karel Vejmelka with just 41.1 seconds left.
Speaking about his new linemate in the post-match interview, Marchand said, “Every time we’ve played together, it definitely helps build the chemistry and the communication. We are trying to talk on and off the ice, about different things, just about what guys want.” And he didn’t stop there, he went on to commend Bennett’s skill, adding, “Such a big part of the game is reading and reacting, he’s a very smart player.”
Bennett’s words about Brad Marchand in turn were also filled with high praise. A little later in the same YouTube clip, Bennett can be heard saying, “He hasn’t played for a month now, but he steps right in and is dominating and controlling the game.”
Bennett also added insight into what Marchand was like soon after he joined the team, sharing some details about his first group text with the media. “As soon as we added him in the group chat, he was chirping,” he said. “His first message was a chirp. Right away. You love that. It breaks the ice. That’s just who he is, and we’re excited to have that personality here.”
Clearly the two share a mutual admiration, and judging by that assist, things can only go up from here! And to make things even more exciting, Florida is all set to play the Montreal Canadiens tomorrow night, where both Marchand and Bennett will be facing off with more Team Canada players, so whatever direction the game goes, the chemistry promises to be electric! And this time Brad Marchand will be hoping for it to rain rats!
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