Panthers stay mum on Marchand-Gostibehere dustup in Game 1 of Eastern Conference final
The two tussled in the third period of Florida's 5-2 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final after Gostisbehere intentionally shot a puck at Marchand in retaliation for Marchand 'trying to take a run at me,' as Gostisbehere put it.
Marchand was assessed a four-minute double-minor penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct after the scrap.
'I'm not much of a thinker,' Marchand said after morning skate Thursday. 'I don't have much thought on that situation.'
The Panthers have stayed relatively low-key with their reactions to the play.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who rarely speaks about plays that could lead to discipline, declined to give his thoughts on the incident postgame Tuesday.
On Wednesday, when asked how he would categorize a play when a player intentionally shoots a puck at another player, he simply said 'it's somebody else's problem,' alluding to that being something the league deals with.
Added defenseman Aaron Ekblad: 'We block shots all the time, so what's the difference? ... Intent or not, it hurts the same.'
Gostisbehere was not fined by the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
Panthers named SBJ team of year
The Florida Panthers on Wednesday were named the 'Sports Team of the Year' by the Sports Business Journal.
The announcement was made at SBJ's 18th annual Sports Business Awards, which celebrate excellence in the business of sports and factor all facets of the team's operations both on and off the ice. The Panthers were also nominated for 'Team of the Year' in 2023.
The other nominees for Sports Team of the Year were the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, WNBA's Indiana Fever, MLS' Inter Miami CF, MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, NFL's Washington Commanders and USA Gymnastics.
'The Florida Panthers are honored to be named 'Sports Team of the Year,' a humbling acknowledgment of how far our team has come under the passionate and steadfast leadership of the Viola family,' Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell said in a statement. 'We are grateful to Sports Business Journal for this tremendous recognition that represents the unwavering and unified commitment of our players, coaches, staff members and ownership to success both on and off the ice.'
In addition to winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup last June, the Panthers sold out of season ticket allotment for the first time in franchise history and generated a more than $125 million impact on the local economy through the last two Stanley Cup Playoff runs, both of which ended in the Stanley Cup Final. The club also secured a new media rightsholder partnership with Scripps Sports, which increased access to Panthers hockey to more than 2.6 million households for free and doubled viewership in the first year.
The Panthers also amended and extended the Arena Operating Agreement for the County-owned facility Amerant Bank Arena to stay in Broward County long-term, opened their new practice facility Baptist Health IcePlex and reopened a revitalized War Memorial Auditorium concert venue in Fort Lauderdale.
Charlotte Checkers
The Panthers aren't the only team under the organization's umbrella having postseason success.
The Charlotte Checkers, who are the Panthers' American Hockey League affiliate, on Wednesday advanced to the conference finals of the Calder Cup playoffs after completing a three-game sweep of the Hershey Bears, the affiliate for the Washington Capitals and the back-to-back defending Calder Cup champions.
This puts Charlotte two rounds away from winning the Calder Cup for the second time in team history and first since 2019.
The Checkers became the Panthers' AHL affiliate beginning with the 2021-22 season. This season is the furthest they have advanced while affiliated with Florida.
Forward Rasmus Asplund, who played in six games with the Panthers this season, leads the Checkers with four goals and is tied for the team lead with six points through their first two rounds of the Calder Cup playoffs. Others players on the Checkers roster who spent time with the Panthers this season include defenseman Tobias Bjornfot (two goals, three assists in playoffs), forward Jesse Puljujarvi (four assists in playoffs) and defenseman Matt Kiersted (one assist in playoffs).
Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, who the Panthers acquired at the trade deadline, has played all eight games in net, posting a 1.85 goals against average and .918 save percentage.
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