Brad Marchand’s Instagram tribute turns Panthers’ Stanley Cup party into NHL shoutout fest

Brad Marchand turned the Panthers’ Cup celebration into the NHL’s hottest conversation. As the Florida Panthers soaked in their Stanley Cup victory with a night out in Miami, Marchand quietly lit up Instagram not with party scenes, but with a string of thank-yous to NHL teams that let his teammates go.

Subtle yet bold, perfectly timed and personal, his message landed without needing a mic drop.

Here’s how Brad Marchand thanked NHL team with one story at a time

After clinching their second straight Stanley Cup with a commanding 5–1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6, the Florida Panthers wasted no time jumping into celebration mode. But while the team hit the Miami nightlife in full force, Brad Marchand chose a different way to mark the moment, one that instantly grabbed attention across the NHL.During a team dinner at Maple & Ash in Downtown Miami, Marchand opened up Instagram and started posting stories that weren’t about champagne or confetti. Instead, he shared snapshots of his Panthers teammates, each paired with a simple yet pointed message: a thank-you to the NHL teams that let those players go.

He started with the New Jersey Devils — and for good reason. Five former Devils, including Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist, Tomas Nosek, A.J.

Greer, and goaltender Vitek Vanecek, had just lifted the Cup as Panthers. For some, like Kulikov, it was back-to-back titles. For others, it was their first. Marchand made sure none of it went unnoticed.But the thank-yous didn’t stop with New Jersey. He kept going — tagging teams that once rostered now-celebrated Panthers players. Even Florida’s GM Bill Zito and head coach Paul Maurice got a grateful nod in his story spree.

The Panthers’ success wasn’t just built, it was handed over, piece by piece, by teams that failed to hold on.

In a fitting twist, Panthers stars Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Evan Rodrigues joined in the fun by posting their own message: a thank-you to the Boston Bruins — Marchand’s longtime team — for letting him go.As the Stanley Cup parade looms this Sunday on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Marchand’s Instagram moment has become part of the broader Panthers story, a team shaped by second chances, underestimated talent, and the unlikeliest of combinations.Also Read: Florida Panthers fans break Guinness World Record for loudest roar amid NHL goal horn controversyAnd while most championship parties fade by sunrise, Marchand’s viral “thank-you tour” just gave this one lasting power and a personal edge no one saw coming.