Marchand cements Hall of Fame legacy with second Stanley Cup title originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

There are lots of certainties in life, and it’s time to add Brad Marchand being a first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer to that list.

That’s right. It’s settled. There’s no more debate. Marchand is a Hall of Fame player.

He already had a very strong Hall of Fame case going into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after playing at such an elite level for the Florida Panthers and helping them clinch back-to-back championships, there is no counter argument anymore.

The Panthers secured their latest title by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night. Marchand skated around the Amerant Bank Arena ice with the Stanley Cup — 14 years after he did it with the Boston Bruins as a rookie.

“It’s incredible,” Marchand told TNT’s Jackie Redmond postgame. “It’s a feeling you can’t really describe.”

Marchand, who the Panthers acquired from the Bruins at the trade deadline in March, was absolutely brilliant for the Panthers all postseason long. And he played his best hockey when they needed it most.

He scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 3 in the second round. The Panthers were on the brink of a 3-0 deficit to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Marchand rescued them. He then scored a goal with two assists in a Game 7 win at Toronto.

Marchand was arguably the best player of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. He scored in four of the six games, including the overtime-winning goal in Game 2 and a two-goal performance in a dominant Game 5. He is just the second player since 1968 to score five-plus goals in multiple Cup Final series.

Marchand finished the playoffs with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 23 games. His 158 career points in the playoffs are the second-most of any player since he made his NHL debut in the 2009-10 campaign. Only three players in the history of the sport have more postseasons with 10-plus points than Marchand, and they are Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Jean Beliveau.

His 66 playoff goals over that span are the second-most of any player. His 16 game-winning goals in the playoffs are the most during that period.

When he won his first Stanley Cup title with the Bruins in 2011, he scored twice in a Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. He had five goals in the series.

Marchand’s regular season stats are tremendous, too. His 980 points are the 12th-most since the start of the 2009-10 season. All 11 players ahead of him will be in the Hall of Fame. Only five players — Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane — have scored more goals than Marchand’s 424 since he entered the league. His 36 shorthanded goals are 14 more than any other player during that span. He also ranks No. 1 with 21 overtime goals in that period.

Barring injury, he will hit 1,000 career points next season. And he might need to play just three more years to reach 500 goals.

And you can’t forget about Marchand’s defense. He was an elite two-way forward for a long time. It’s one of the reasons why the Bruins’ penalty kill was so good for much of his career in Boston. Marchand and Patrice Bergeron were arguably the top defensive duo of their era.

Marchand isn’t everyone’s favorite player. If you live in Vancouver or Toronto, you’re probably not much of a fan of the 5-foot-10 forward.

But even his most vocal haters and critics now have to come to terms that, yes, he is going to be in the Hall of Fame someday. And it will be well-deserved.