The Brad Blizzard: Panthers star's love for desserts reaches a new level
The snack story of the Stanley Cup playoffs — did Brad Marchand eat a Blizzard between periods of a playoff game or not? — reached its celebratory peak Friday. A Dairy Queen in Sunrise, Florida, where the Panthers play their home games, renamed the treat for the day in honor of the now two-time Stanley Cup winner.
The Brad Blizzard was one of his favorites: the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, though on Friday, the primary ingredient wasn't called chocolate chips but rather chocolate 'chirps' — a nod to the verbal jabs that hockey players give one another on the ice.
'I love seeing the excitement from everyone,' Marchand said while 'working' at the DQ for a little while, actually making the treats and handing them out to customers both inside the store and at the drive-thru window. 'These are moments that you love to appreciate.'
Marchand was not having a Blizzard between periods of that game in the Eastern Conference final against Carolina — it was honey, but cameras captured Marchand enjoying something off a spoon and the story just took off from there — but Blizzardmania was born. Marchand and several of his teammates went to DQ on off days for the treats, including on the night before ending the Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton in Game 6.
Marchand said they went before Game 6 for good luck. The Panthers won 5-1 a day later to take the Cup.
'It's incredible the moments that you look back on and at the time you don't really appreciate what they could mean at the end of the day,' Marchand told reporters Friday. 'The first time we kind of went as a group to Dairy Queen, we were just going for a walk. We wanted to walk off our dinner and have Dairy Queen for dessert and it became this huge organic moment in the playoffs. ... Those are the things you look back on and you have fun with.'
It has been a nonstop party for the Panthers since winning the Cup, with trips to the famed Elbo Room bar to interact with fans, a team dinner at a Miami restaurant on Thursday night — one where tennis great Martina Navratilova, who just happened to be having dinner in the same spot, got to sip from the Cup — and a slew of other appearances.
Marchand had 10 goals and 10 assists in the playoff run for the Panthers, who won the Cup for the second straight season. He was acquired at the trade deadline by Florida general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito from rival Boston, and the tale of how Marchand — who was far from a fan favorite in Florida before the trade — became beloved by Panthers fans was one of the compelling stories of the postseason.
Marchand and the Panthers will have their championship parade on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday, and then free agency starts July 1. Marchand is a free agent, though he has indicated a willingness to remain in Florida and had a message for the Panthers during his DQ shift.
'Give me a contract,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Knicks Given Massive Prediction on Playoff Future
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After suffering through some 20 years of ineptitude, the New York Knicks have been gradually building a winning team over the last few years. Now, they seem to have a clear opportunity to do something special this coming season. With Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum out for the season due to a torn Achilles (one he suffered versus the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs) and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton also out for the year because of a similar injury, the field in the Eastern Conference is almost wide open for the Knicks. The Cleveland Cavaliers remain in the way, but New York seems to be clearly better than the rest of the pack right now. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report just gave the over/under for wins and predicted win totals for all 30 NBA teams in a recent article. The Knicks' over/under is at 53.5 wins, and the only East team with a higher figure is the Cavaliers. Overall, only three NBA teams were given a higher over/under than New York in this piece. "Every member of the New York Knicks lineup that led (by a massive margin) the league in total minutes last season (Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns) is back," Bailey wrote. "That alone should have Knicks fans encouraged about the possibility of a second straight 50-win season, but that's not all. "New York also added Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson to a bench that includes Mitchell Robinson. That should lead to meaningful improvement over last season's second unit." Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge... Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. More Photo byRead more: ESPN Personality Calls Out Knicks Star Karl-Anthony Towns Last season, New York went 51-31, but Bailey picked the team to once again win 51 regular-season games. However, his reasons for that prediction aren't necessarily negative. "So, why are the Knicks predicted to finish below their over-under this season? "Well, think back to caveat in the intro. There are only so many wins to go around, and being higher than consensus on one team might mean shaving a win or two off other teams. "That and what feels like a small likelihood of New York being as healthy as it was last season made the Knicks one of the victims of the finite leaguewide win total." As Bailey pointed out, the Knicks have a somewhat deeper bench for this season. Clarkson isn't an efficient shooter, but he did average 16.2 points a game last season, which was around his career average in scoring. Yabusele, a wide-bodied 6-foot-8 29-year-old who can play the 4 and 5 spots, put up 11.0 points on 50.1% from the field and 38% from 3-point range, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes a game. Backup guard Miles McBride, who has been a spark plug over the last couple of years, remains on the roster. Read more: Former NBA Star Throws Shade at Rockets' Kevin Durant The onus seems to be on All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns to raise his game. While he was at 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game last season, many are disappointed with his lack of defense, both around the rim and on the perimeter. The Knicks have a new head coach in Mike Brown, who has always been known as a defensive mastermind but has also kept up with the NBA's offensive evolution in recent years. All eyes across the Tri-State area will also be on him as the team attempts to win its first world championship since 1973. For more on the Knicks and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Blackhawks Hall of Fame rankings: Steve Larmer's moment? Duncan Keith a lock?
The Chicago Blackhawks were never going to retire everyone's number. Whether it was their great players of the past — the likes of Steve Larmer and Doug Wilson — or the most recent ones who were part of multiple Stanley Cup runs, the team can only raise so many to the rafters. Fans had been asking for years for the Blackhawks to figure out another way to honor those players. To be fair, the Blackhawks have been in talks for years about doing such a thing. With their centennial anniversary now arriving, they decided it was time to unveil their own Hall of Fame. Advertisement Fans, select media and Blackhawks alumni will have an equally weighted vote on two categories of players — Heritage and Modern — and a player from each category will be elected into the Blackhawks Hall of Fame annually. With it being late August and still weeks away from real hockey to discuss again, we decided to rank the nominees for the first Blackhawks Hall of Fame class. Scott Powers (1): No, it's not getting your number retired, but it'd be significant for Larmer to be the first Heritage member inducted into the Blackhawks Hall of Fame. I will say, Charlie Gardiner would have been my vote here if he had been included on the ballot. He might be the most forgotten Blackhawks player. Mark Lazerus (1): Larmer rocked. He belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame and the United Center rafters. Powers (2): A Norris Trophy and three other top-four finishes is pretty good. Lazerus (2): Absolutely wild to me that a defenseman had 39 goals in 76 games the way Wilson did in 1981-82. He's better known by younger fans for his tenure as Sharks general manager, but Wilson was one heck of a player. Lazerus (3): When it comes to these old-timers who played an entirely different sport than the one we see today, all you can do is compare them to their contemporaries. And from 1942-1950, Bentley's prime, he was second in the league with 421 points in 369 games, behind only the iconic Elmer Lach. (I have never heard of Elmer Lach.) Powers (4): What's incredible is that from 1943 to 1949, either Bentley or his brother Max finished in the top five in Hart voting. Lazerus (6): Roenick's seven full seasons in Chicago were spectacular. And as I said in a recent mailbag, he's the first 'heritage era' Blackhawk I'd put on the roster right now. Fabulous hockey player in his prime. But he spent most of his career in other teams' jerseys. When you're talking about a team Hall of Fame, that matters. Powers (3): This was one of our larger discrepancies. For me, Roenick was at another level in his prime. His 1.14 points per game with the Blackhawks is also second only to Denis Savard's 1.24. Lazerus (5): Statistically, compared with his peers, Belfour's numbers are surprisingly pedestrian (his .904 save percentage during his Hawks years was just 12th in the league over that time), but anyone who watched Belfour play knows how great he was. Powers (5): You could argue he should be higher on the list with two Vezinas during his time with the Blackhawks. Advertisement Powers (6): Mosienko's hat trick in 21 seconds is an unbelievable story. Lazerus (4): Small guy, big-time player. Powers (7): I didn't realize how many categories Hull is in the top 10 in franchise history. Lazerus (9): A remarkably consistent producer for 13 seasons in Chicago. Must have galled him to be called 'The Silver Jet,' though. I hated when my older brother's friends called me 'Little Laz.' Powers (9): Murray scored 45 goals and won the Selke in the 1985-86 season. Lazerus (8): Funny that he had to go off offensively to win the award for best defensive forward. Murray was always a great two-way player. Had a bit of Marián Hossa in him. Powers (8): Gottselig was one of the best players on the Blackhawks' first two Stanley Cup champions. Lazerus (10): Fun fact: He was the second Russian-born player in NHL history. No, Mike Smith didn't draft him. Lazerus (7): An early adopter of the hockey helmet and a member of the famed MPH line with Dennis Hull and Jim Pappin in the 1970s. Powers (11): I could probably be convinced I'm wrong about good old Pit. I just didn't feel like the stats warranted higher. Lazerus (11): I genuinely love that this ballot pits Mush March against Jeremy Roenick. What a ludicrous exercise and impossible task this is. Powers (10): The 5-foot-5 March played all 761 of his NHL games with the Blackhawks. Lazerus (12): Graham's mustache is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Powers (12): Jonathan Toews, Murray and Graham are the only Blackhawks to ever win the Selke. Graham also scored 10 shorthanded goals in a single season. Lazerus (13): We're really getting into the 'it's an honor to be nominated' stage here. Powers (13): Koroll played his whole 814-game career with the Blackhawks and settled in the Chicago area. Advertisement Powers (14): It doesn't feel like any of the guys near the end of this list will ever get in. Lazerus (15): I'd love to see Blackhawks fans organize a 'John Scott to the All-Star Game'-like movement and get one of these longtime, lifelong workaday Blackhawks in ahead of some of the flashier names. Powers (15): Nesterenko played with the Blackhawks until he was 40. Lazerus (14): Thanks for playing, Eric. Lazerus (1): Toews and Patrick Kane were the faces of the franchise for the Blackhawks' golden era, but Duncan Keith was the best player on the team. I bet you Toews and Kane would say the same. A first-ballot Hall of Famer and two-time Norris Trophy winner who is somehow still underrated in the larger hockey world. Powers (2): Keith is the obvious choice, but he's undoubtedly going to have his number retired in the next couple of years, making him an automatic inductee. For that reason, I went with Patrick Sharp. He wasn't the best player on those teams, but he was there before things began to turn and played such a key role in all those Cup championships. Lazerus (3): Sharp never met a shot he didn't take, but people sleep on how complete a player he was. His 200-foot game often rivaled that of Toews and Hossa. Powers (1): I'm curious how long Sharp will actually have to wait to be inducted into this. Lazerus (2): Perhaps the best defensive defenseman of the modern era, both via the eye test and the analytics. And he did it while playing his off side the entire time. Powers (3): Hjalmarsson felt like he got his due by the end of his career. Lazerus (4): The emotional heartbeat of the team and everybody's obnoxious-but-endearing big brother. A pretty damn good hockey player, too. Powers (4): I know we voted him fourth, but he probably gets in next, right? Powers (5): It's too bad his career got cut short due to injuries. Lazerus (5): Never mind the Blackhawks Hall of Fame. You can make a decent case that he belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame — a case I made a couple of years ago. Powers (6): It's going to be challenging for anyone outside those recent Cup teams to get in. Amonte will probably have to wait until he falls into the heritage category. Lazerus (6): He just sneaks in under the 'modern' criteria because his last Blackhawks season was 2001-02, but he might have had better luck with the 'heritage' group. Amonte was ninth in the NHL in goals during his eight seasons with Chicago. Advertisement Powers (8): Shaw was a key role player on the second two Cup teams, but I just didn't think he should have been ahead of Éric Dazé. Lazerus (7): Shaw might not have been as talented as some of the guys below him on this list, but he played a very important role on two Stanley Cup winners. That's a heck of a lot more than the rest of these guys can say. Lazerus (9): You still see No. 55 jerseys around the United Center on game day. Dazé had a very nice career on some truly awful teams, with just one playoff appearance in his last eight seasons. Imagine where those Blackhawks teams would have been without him. Powers (7): What could he have done if he had stayed healthy? Powers (9): Campbell was a significant signing for the organization and was a heck of a player, but this sort of felt like a kind gesture to him. He played just four seasons in Chicago. Lazerus (8): And just three of those seasons came in his prime. Excellent player. His signing was a watershed moment for the franchise. But come on. Powers (10): Zhamnov had a solid career, but the Blackhawks probably could have trimmed this ballot. Lazerus (10): Solid player. Productive, too. Has no chance of getting into this Hall of Fame in the next decade. Powers (11): In Sullivan's 34-goal season, he scored more shorthanded goals (8) than power-play goals (6). That's all I got. Lazerus (11): Really does feel like they were straining to get to 12 guys on the ballot here. Lazerus (12): Uh… Powers (12): See you in September! (Top photo of Steve Larmer: Lou Capozzola / USA Today Network) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Panthers release third unofficial depth chart ahead of Thursday's preseason finale
With their preseason finale coming up on Thursday, the Carolina Panthers have penciled in one last depth chart for the summer. And just like their last release, this one is pretty much chalk. Here's the pecking order for the week: Quarterback Running back Wide receiver Tight end Left tackle Left guard Center Right guard Right tackle Defensive end Defensive tackle Outside linebacker Inside linebacker Cornerback Safety Kick returner Punt returner Kicker Punter Long snapper The lone change from their second chart is the addition of quarterback and 2025 UFL MVP Bryce Perkins, who is expected to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers with starter Bryce Young and backup Andy Dalton lined up for some rest. To make room for Perkins, the Panthers placed tight end Tyler Mabry on injured reserve. Thursday night will give Carolina a chance to evaluate their group ahead of the big summer cutdown. Teams will have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 29 to trim their rosters down to 53 players. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
