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Brad Marchand Applauds Teammate Aaron Ekblad for Throwing Massive Hit on Connor McDavid

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By James Connelly | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 3:37 PM ET

The Florida Panthers have a 2-1 series lead versus the Edmonton Oilers, and Brad Marchand has praised one of his teammates for laying Connor McDavid out.

Brad Marchand is known best for being a pest, both on and off the ice. He is consistently one of the most frustrating players to play against, and when he joined the Florida Panthers, he joined the team that is most frustrating to play against.

After going down early in the series following a game one overtime loss, the Panthers have rallied back to take a 2-1 series lead. Brad Marchand has been a big factor in this series tallying a goal in every game and netting the game two overtime winner.

While Marchand's offensive capabilities have been at the center of attention during the finals thus far, Aaron Ekblad has stolen some headlines after laying this massive open ice hit on Connor McDavid, the fastest and best player in the world.

Ahead of game four tomorrow, Brad Marchand applauded Ekblad's hit on McDavid and gave the Panthers' longest-tenured defenseman his flowers for being able to bring the physicality.

'Obviously an incredible defensive play by [Ekblad]. It's not easy to hit a guy like [McDavid]. He's so fast, so shifty, but to time that is incredibly difficult. You don't expect that to happen often. [McDavid] is so aware of what's going on around the ice, offensively and defensively, so it's one of those ones that's very rare. But, great play by [Ekblad]' - Brad Marchand

You can watch the full video here.

For the Panthers to continue their success versus Edmonton, they will need to neutralize McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Plays like the one that Ekblad made are the kind that help teams win championships and could lead to McDavid being slightly more timid when entering the Panthers' defensive zone, leading to better team defense by the Panthers.

Game four will be on home ice for the Panthers, and they have a massive opportunity to take a 3-1 lead, like they did in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals versus Edmonton.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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