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Panthers' Brad Marchand Collected Rats Without Knowing the Meaning

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 7:15 AM ET

Brad Marchand made his long-awaited Florida Panthers debut even more memorable by assisting Sam Bennett’s game-winning goal in overtime against Utah Hockey Club on Friday.

But after securing a 2–1 victory, Marchand made headlines for another reason entirely—his amusing misunderstanding of the Panthers' iconic rat-throwing tradition.

Marchand admitted postgame he didn't fully understand why plastic rats littered the ice after the win, as he initially "wondered if they're some sort of tribute to injured Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk," per ESPN.

"Yeah, it was one of the things that my kids said right away," Marchand said after the game. "They were asking about the rats being thrown out there, and I was like, 'I don’t know when it happens, but if it does, I’ll grab a couple.'

"So, I did."

A little souvenir from his Cats debut pic.twitter.com/7hgqU5xpaX
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 29, 2025

In reality, the rats honor former Panther Scott Mellanby, who famously killed a rat in the locker room with his stick before a 1995–96 game, then scored twice—coining the phrase "rat trick."

Marchand joined the Panthers following a blockbuster trade from Boston and received a warm reception from Panthers fans despite years of fierce playoff rivalry between his former and current teams.

"Going out there and being cheered by Panthers fans was a lot different," Marchand said. "But it's a great feeling."

Brad Marchand collecting rats after setting up the game winning goal in OT pic.twitter.com/euT8NZQoJa
— Katie Engleson (@KatieEngleson) March 29, 2025

Panthers forward Sam Bennett marveled at Marchand’s immediate impact on the game following a weeks-long recovery from injury.

“(Marchand) hasn’t played for a month now and he steps right in and is dominating and controlling the game,” Bennett said. “That’s tough to do in your first game back, especially on a new team.

”I think he’s going to fit here real, real nice.”

With Marchand's help, Florida (44-25-3) moved into first place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Toronto (43-25-4), with two matchups between both teams still left in their regular-season schedules.

The Panthers will return to action on Sunday when they'll face Montreal, with Marchand in tow and now fully knowing the meaning behind the rat-throwing.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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