It has been an adrenaline-charged weekend of Game 7 showdowns with the Eastern Conference semi-finals about to light up the fierce match between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Matthew Tkachuk’s Florida Panthers. And the hype surrounding the clash is so electrifying that the entire NHL community has been expressing it the whole time. “To Leafs nation, an incredible victory. I thought it was gonna get done in five, but six games is still good,” Paul Bissonnette made sure he wasn’t left out. After all, this isn’t going to be any random playoff pairing but a clash that’s fast becoming a postseason tradition, with Game 1 being set for Monday at Scotiabank Arena.
To say that there’s another kind of fuel burning under this rivalry now. A hype created b y BizNasty himself, who turned the media juggernaut that called Pat McAfee from the Pat McAfee Show to sit down and have a conversation with the Panthers captain himself! Because this time the script feels different. While the Leafs have momentum on their side, having just eliminated the Ottawa Senators, the Panthers on the other side are riding high after finishing off the Tampa Bay Lightning in five. Hence, you’ve got a series bursting with pure revenge and storylines that practically write themselves. But what did the chat follow?
And McAfee pretty much fired off while asking Matthew Tkachuk if his team is using all the noise around the Auston Matthew’s squad as fuel, especially the hype concerning Biz’s excitement? And Tkachuk, being the one who currently leads the team, stated, “No, I mean it’s, it’s round two,” he denied the noise, suggesting any fear his team might face. “You know we’ve, we’ve been in way more high-pressure series and games than this, and hopefully we will be, you know, down the road. That’s the goal.”
Obviously, the leafs aren’t going to be easy to tackle. But as stated earlier, the Panthers are aware of their goal and Matthew Tkachuk knows that the focus is not on the Biz’s hype videos or texts or the noise coming off the ice but on what they will be delivering on the ice. “They’ve got some of the best offensive players, and I think there’s more to worry about on the ice than stuff worrying off the ice. So, uh, we’re going to let that stuff handle itself but all we can control is that stuff on ice and we’ll let the fans do whatever they want outside of the ice,” the captain quoted.
But the conversation didn’t just end there. It added another layer to the scenario when the host specifically refered to Brad Marchand and how, perhaps, he is using Bissonnette’s enthusiastic support for the leafs. “Do the boys rally around that in the Panthers like, is Marchand, you know, uh, are we watching this video before every Maple Leafs game?” Pat inquired. And what Matthew replied to this is pretty much the same when he said all we can control is that stuff on ice; what’s important to note is his admiration and statements that reveal Marchand’s role in the Panthers’ locker room!
Matthew Tkachuk found his greatest strength to shut out outside noise!
While Marchand’s move from Boston to Florida raised more than just a few eyebrows, down in the Panthers’ locker room, he has already proved to be a game-changer! And it all comes after his 16 seasons with the Boston Bruins and a long, long history of heated rivalries that includes a spicy back-and-forth with Matthew too. While everyone expected the rivalry to become more intense after what got hyped up during the Four Nations Face-Off, things took a different turn, coming as a shocking revelation when the news of the Bruins’ longtime captain circled around the NHL community. While hate and anger might have lightened the heated atmosphere surrounding the two, mutual understanding and respect now prevail in the Panthers’ locker room.
How could the captain not praise the new Florida Star then? “It’s been unreal having him in. And he’s got what everybody wants in this league, and that’s that winning pedigree and being a champion and having that experience. And I think that’s what our team’s greatest strength is,” Matthew admitted in the Spittin Chiclets podcast. Looks like all those words and tones that described the ex-Bruins star as the enemy now shift with a narrative that talks about him being one of the champions of the leagues! And honestly, Marchand is. With all the experience he carries with him, let’s admit that the Panthers have got the right one. From the 2011 Stanley Cup win to countless playoff runs, Marchand is the one who’s keeping the Florida locker room chilling now.
And now that the Panthers rolled into Round 2 after dismantling the Tampa Bay Lightning, the focus isn’t on what the hype is or what the noise is but what’s actually clicking behind the scenes. Moreover, with players bringing in the championship experience and leadership, Matthew, alongside his teammate, is preparing for something tough. Perhaps one that would really shut the noise and keep the cup dreams alive!
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