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Parade: Brad Marchand fends off a beer thrown at him
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

For those who didn’t know, the Florida Panthers began their parade as Stanley Cup champions today, for the second time in a row.

And knowing the players on the team, you’d expect all kinds of things to happen.

Last year, Matthew Tkachuk took the Stanley Cup into the ocean for a dip.

There was also a chant for Sergei Bobrovsky by Aleksander Barkov: “Bo-bby, Bo-bby”.

Not to mention head coach Paul Maurice’s cat sweater.

It’s officially underway in Fort Lauderdale.

This year, a few things came back, but what caught the eye was Brad Marchand, a newcomer who wasn’t with the Panthers last year.

The little pest, then on the parade bus, was having beers thrown at him repeatedly and after catching one, he decided enough was enough.

Seeing another beer heading his way, he swatted it away like a true football defensive player.

Check out the images below:

At some point, enough is enough. Enough is like not enough, as the saying goes.

But this gesture could possibly have hurt someone who was present. All it took was for one person to have been in the line of beer pushed back by Marchand and could have been knocked unconscious.

But hey, the odds were less and no one was hurt in the sequence. We can also understand Marchand’s gesture, as he was fed up with receiving open beers dripping all over the bus.

Speaking of Marchand, he seems to like his nickname “rat” and honored it in the nicest way possible: with a Rat King crown.

As many say: a real rat (even if everyone would take him on their team tomorrow morning).

And Marchand added to it in front of the mic, saying he was very happy not to have to face the Panthers players, but more importantly, that he’s happy not to have to worry about getting hit by Sam Bennett.

While Marchand has been a nuisance throughout his career, Bennett is another name that has been the talk of the town for questionable gestures, often towards the opposing goalkeeper.

On the subject of the Panthers’ “dirty” style of play, Bennett was keen to speak out and apologize…

Specifically, he’d like to apologize to… absolutely nobody.

The message is clear.

And the series MVP took the opportunity to hold the Conn-Smythe trophy high in the air.

Last year, Matthew Tkachuk was in the ocean with the Cup, and he took the opportunity to do the same again today.

You can’t change a winning recipe, as they say.

We can be sure that the Panthers’ festivities will be well watered this Sunday, June 22.

And Tkachuk has every intention of making the most of it.

Watch him “shotgun” a beer. That’s the face of a guy who’s happy to have (once again) realized his dream.

For those who remember, Aleksander Barkov had started a chant with the fans present where he said “Bo-bby”, while the fans responded afterwards.

Sergei Bobrovsky has always been extremely useful to the Panthers, especially in the playoffs.

Barkov did it again with the fans in attendance:

He started the same way he ended his speech last year, much to the delight of those on hand.

Head coach Paul Maurice also brought back a tradition from the last parade: his sweater with his cats.

This time, he added a different touch, placing his two cats on the front, rather than one on the front and one behind.

Poppy and Penny are certainly favorites with the Florida crowd, and the coach did a great job of bringing them back.

Of course, as Maurice mentioned, it was his daughter who urged him to do it again today.

If your daughter asks you, you do it, especially as a double champion.

There was a big controversy this year about low-tax teams like Florida State.

It came up in a speech today, pointing the finger at Paul “Biz Nasty” Bissonnette, who is a staunch advocate of tax equality, or at least finds it simply unfair.

Biz Nasty responded to this tweet about the speech in question by keeping his point and seeking the approval of Toronto Maple Leafs fans.

The whole saga is one to watch, but for now, the day is reserved for the defending champions, the Florida Panthers, and their fans.


Overtime

– Could Jason Robertson leave the Dallas Stars?

– A rather ridiculous offer.

– Read more.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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