FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A controversy — a creamy, delicious one — is brewing in the Florida Panthers locker room, surrounding some potentially decadent behavior on the part of Brad Marchand during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The issue: Did he REALLY have ice cream after the second period Saturday night?
He said he did, though it’s possible he was telling a frozen fib.
“I know he said it,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “I’m just not sure that makes it a fact.”
This sugary story started to hit the spot soon after the game. Marchand did an interview with Sportsnet following Florida’s 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, and reporter Kyle Bukauskas asked the Panthers forward about a video of him eating something off a spoon between periods.
Mindful that the Panthers had gotten some notoriety for visiting a Dairy Queen last week in North Carolina — one was near the hotel where Florida was staying for Games 1 and 2 against the Hurricanes, and a fan’s social media posts about seeing the Panthers having some sweet treats went viral — Bukauskas wondered if Marchand was still getting his dessert fix.
“No chance you were fueling with a Blizzard there, were you?” Bukauskas asked.
“Yeah, that’s a little chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard right there,” Marchand said.
Now, there is a Dairy Queen about 2.4 miles away from the Panthers’ home arena — and it was still open when the game was in its second intermission Saturday. So, is it possible that ice cream could have been sent to the arena? Yes.
Is it likely? No. The Panthers, like all teams, have a slew of high-protein snacks available for refueling between periods. It’s not uncommon for players to enjoy a spoonful or two of peanut butter, which some suspect was Marchand’s actual snack item Saturday night.
Maurice didn’t debunk the story — but cast some doubt on it.
“There are cameras everywhere, man. We can’t get away with anything anymore,” Maurice said. “But that would be a good story.”
As it turns out, Marchand may have had a bit of a motive for telling Bukauskas that it was a Blizzard. The TV-savvy Marchand looked directly into the camera afterward — and hinted he might want to add a DQ sponsorship to his endorsement portfolio.
“You can’t beat it. It’s the best dessert in the world,” Marchand said. “So, I better get a lifetime free supply of Dairy Queen now. Thank you, fellas.”
It should be noted that whatever Marchand ate between periods worked. He scored a goal in the third period, a few minutes after the snack — part of a five-goal, um, blizzard by the Panthers to seal the win.