Brad Marchand: ‘Big memories are created’ in Game 7s. He’s been through plenty of them
Brad Marchand knows a thing or two — or 12 — about what it’s like to play in Game 7 of a Stanley Cup playoffs series.
Marchand on Sunday is appearing in his 13th career Game 7 when the Florida Panthers play the Toronto Maple Leafs with a spot in the Eastern Conference final on the line.
“These,” Marchand said, “are the ones you live for.”
He and the Panthers hope his experience in these moments will help them live another day and keep their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions alive.
Marchand, acquired at the trade deadline from the Boston Bruins, has experienced both euphoria and heartbreak in Game 7s over the course of his 16-season NHL career. This includes winning his lone Stanley Cup in 2011 over the Vacnouver Canucks and losing in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues.
But through it all, the intensity and emotion that surrounds the game is something that never gets old.
“You get excited about it,” Marchand said. “They’re the ones you don’t really worry about the pressure. You just worry about enjoying it and having fun. Whether you win or lose, they’re incredible moments, and you want to give yourself the best opportunity and to do that, you have to be in the moment all night and just be excited about it.”
His 13 appearances make just the fifth player in NHL history with as many appearances, along with defenseman Scott Stevens (13), goaltender Patrick Roy (13), forward Patrice Bergeron (14) and defenseman Zdeno Chara (14). Overall, Marchand is 7-5 in the 12 Game 7s he has played and on Sunday can match the NHL record for most career Game 7 wins, a mark held by seven other players (Brad Richards, Ray Bourque, Justin Williams, Carl Hagelin, Ryan McDonagh, Joe Pavelski and Glenn Anderson).
Of those seven wins, four have come against the Maple Leafs, a team he hasn’t lost to in a Game 7 over his career. He is one of just two players in NHL history to have four Game 7 wins against one team and could be the first to ever have five.
What’s the biggest thing he’s learned over all those games?
“I think the biggest thing is it’s very easy to start thinking about some noise and pressures and what it means to the game and your future and the fans and all that,” said Marchand, who has seven points (three goals, four assists) in his 12 previous Game 7s. “I think the more times you go through it, you understand the little things within the game and the way you need to focus and prepare just to how you can embrace it instead of worrying about the pressure and all the things that come with it and the media hype around it and all that. The more you go through it, the more fun you have in them. You know the difference between winning and losing sometimes doesn’t come down to how you play. It can be a bounce or a call. You also want to prepare to put your best game on the ice and take care of every detail because one detail is enough to win or lose a game.”
“But,” Marchand continued, “these are the games that you talk about forever. They’re the moments that if you go on to have a run that you always look back on and you talk about the moments within the game that allow you to win. The teams that win them and go on to win a Cup, they’re the moments you look back and everyone’s like, ‘You don’t win that, your Cup run’s over.’ The difference in the details are pretty incredible with how it plays out, and that’s what the fans love. It’s what us as players love and love to be part of. I’ve said it before that you can look at it as a pressure situation, or you can just look at it as an incredible opportunity to be a hero or to accomplish big things as a group. Whichever one you kind of latch onto, that’s usually the direction you go, but be embracing and excited about it and know that you have the ability to do big things in big moments. That’s where big memories are created.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice, meanwhile, was taken aback when he heard exactly how many times Marchand played in these pivotal games, but said that type of experience for a veteran makes a player like Marchand appreciate the moments even more.
“There’s not 13 more — or that would be impressive,” said Maurice, who enters Sunday with a perfect 5-0 record as a coach in Game 7s. “Those players understand and enjoy it. You get to go have the game. Nobody ever in the backyard rink said ‘Hey, it’s Game 3!’ That’s what we’re presented with today, so we should be able to enjoy it.”
And the Panthers certainly appreciate having him on their team this season. Marchand entered Sunday with nine points (two goals, seven assists) through the team’s first 11 games this postseason. He has added yet another veteran presence to the dressing room and has fit in seamlessly on Florida’s third line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.
“All the experience, it helps always,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “We’ve been in playoffs for for a long time now for a few years with deep runs. Those help a lot. And then obviously adding Marchand, he’s [going into his] 13th Game 7. That’s a lot of Game 7s. He helps us in that part.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM.
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