If there’s one player the Toronto Maple Leafs hate to see on the opposing side in a Game 7, it’s Brad Marchand.
In his long career with the Boston Bruins, Marchand went 4-0 against the Maple Leafs in Game 7s. Though he’s now in new colours, he continued his Game 7 dominance over the Leafs as he helped his Florida Panthers end Toronto’s season with a 6-1 win on Sunday.
With the win, Marchand became the first player in NHL history to win five winner-take-all games against the same franchise.
Yes, the menace Maple Leafs’ fanatics love to hate, got the last laugh — again.
“I grew up a Leafs fan, and I enjoy playing against the Leafs,” Marchand said. “I enjoy interacting with fans. It’s fun. I don’t take myself too seriously. I love getting made fun of and I love making fun of people. If you can’t take it, then so be it. I’m going to enjoy the moments that I have.
“When I come in here and I get booed, I’m good. I’m going to show it. I’m going to enjoy that.”
Marchand has one more point (six) in the five Game 7s than Maple Leafs stars Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews have combined (five). He added a goal and two assists in Sunday’s win.
After the Maple Leafs took a 2-0 series lead in Round 2, Marchand said the 2024-25 version of the Leafs was the best version he’s ever played.
And Marchand reiterated his assessment after Sunday’s win.
“This one was probably the one I was most nervous for,” Marchand told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas after the game. “I said it before, and I wasn’t just pumping their tires, they’re a different team this year … I give them a lot of credit, they competed way harder than they ever had.”
The Maple Leafs now head into an off-season with a ton of question marks as the team once again fell short of playoff expectations this season.
Marchand, however, believes the criticism the Maple Leafs are inevitably going to face is unwarranted.
“I think if you look at the heat this team catches, it’s actually really unfortunate,” he said in his post-game availability. “You know, they’ve been working and building something really big here for a while, and they were a different brand of hockey this year, and they’re getting crucified, and I don’t think it’s justified.”
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, who improved to a perfect 6-0 in Game 7s on Sunday, concurred with Marchand.
“This is a much better team than we played two years ago,” Maurice said post-game. “… You’re going to assign a bunch of character flaws that just aren’t true.”
But praise from their opposition is all the Maple Leafs will be left with now, as it is the Panthers who move on to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
— With files from the Canadian Press
More from SportsnetMaple Leafs’ season ends after one-sided loss to Panthers in Game 7
‘It’s the hope that kills you’: Maple Leafs fans devastated by another Game 7 loss
