For one day only: The Brad Blizzard, available at Dairy Queen.
The snack story of the Stanley Cup playoffs – did Brad Marchand eat a Blizzard between periods of a playoff game or not? – reached its celebratory peak Friday. A Dairy Queen in Sunrise, Florida, where the Panthers play their home games, renamed the treat for the day in honor of the now two-time Stanley Cup winner.
The Brad Blizzard was one of his favorites: the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, though on Friday, the primary ingredient wasn’t called chocolate chips but rather chocolate “chirps” – a nod to the verbal jabs that hockey players give one another on the ice.
“I love seeing the excitement from everyone,” Marchand said while “working” at the DQ for a little while, actually making the treats and handing them out to customers both inside the store and at the drive-thru window. “These are moments that you love to appreciate.”
Marchand was not having a Blizzard between periods of that game in the Eastern Conference final against Carolina – it was honey, but cameras captured Marchand enjoying something off a spoon and the story just took off from there – but Blizzardmania was born. Marchand and several of his teammates went to DQ on off days for the treats, including on the night before ending the Stanley Cup Final against Edmonton in Game 6.
Marchand said they went before Game 6 for good luck. The Panthers won 5-1 a day later to take the Cup.
“It’s incredible the moments that you look back on and at the time you don’t really appreciate what they could mean at the end of the day,” Marchand told reporters Friday. “The first time we kind of went as a group to Dairy Queen, we were just going for a walk. We wanted to walk off our dinner and have Dairy Queen for dessert and it became this huge organic moment in the playoffs. … Those are the things you look back on and you have fun with.”
It has been a nonstop party for the Panthers since winning the Cup, with trips to the famed Elbo Room bar to interact with fans, a team dinner at a Miami restaurant on Thursday night – one where tennis great Martina Navratilova, who just happened to be having dinner in the same spot, got to sip from the Cup – and a slew of other appearances.
Marchand had 10 goals and 10 assists in the playoff run for the Panthers, who won the Cup for the second straight season. He was acquired at the trade deadline by Florida general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito from rival Boston, and the tale of how Marchand – who was far from a fan favorite in Florida before the trade – became beloved by Panthers fans was one of the compelling stories of the postseason.
Marchand and the Panthers will have their championship parade on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Sunday, and then free agency starts July 1. Marchand is a free agent, though he has indicated a willingness to remain in Florida and had a message for the Panthers during his DQ shift.
“Give me a contract,” he said.
Toews signs with Jets
Winnipeg, Manitoba – Jonathan Toews is going home to sign with the Winnipeg Jets as he attempts to make an NHL comeback after a two-year absence.
The team announced Friday that the Winnipeg native has agreed to terms on a contract. It is expected to be a one-year deal, though the contract cannot be registered until July 1.
“I’m grateful to be making my return to the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets,” Toews said. “It’s very special to come home and play in front of my family and friends in Manitoba. The Jets have been on the rise over the last few seasons, and I’m eager to join the group and help however I can.”
Toews, now 37, spent his first 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, captained them to the Stanley Cup three times and also helped Canada win two Olympic gold medals. Toews joining the Jets fills a void while captain Adam Lowry misses the start of next season recovering from hip surgery.
“We are excited to add a proven winner like Jonathan Toews to the Winnipeg Jets,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “It will be a unique opportunity for Jonathan to play for his hometown team. His talent, drive, and experience will be a great complement to our club.”
Stanley Cup Final ratings
U.S. television ratings for the Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers declined from their first matchup a year ago.
An average of 2.5 million viewers watched on TNT, with 2.8 million tuning in for the Panthers’ series-clinching Game 6 victory. The overall number on cable is down from 4.17 million last year when the final was on over-the-air TV on ABC and the lowest since Tampa Bay versus Montreal in 2021.
The share of viewers increased 15% from TNT’s first Cup final in 2023 when Vegas defeated Florida. Social media engagements on NHL content were up 32% over the course of the playoffs.
An average of 3.8 million viewers watched the final in Canada on Sportsnet, with Connor McDavid looking for his first championship. The 1.8 million on average for the playoffs, which included five out of the 16 teams involved being based in Canada, is a 6% increase from a year ago.
Ratings for the Cup final were significantly lower than the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, the return of international competition featuring the NHL’s best players. The final between the U.S. and Canada was watched by 9.3 million people in the U.S. and 10.7 million in Canada, after the six round-robin games averaged 4.6 million in North America.
Stars re-sign Bourque, Lundkvist
Frisco, Texas – The Dallas Stars have re-signed two young players still searching for roles, with forward Mavrik Bourque and defenseman Nils Lundkvist agreeing to one-year contracts.
Bourque played in 73 regular-season games in 2024-25, but dressed for just three playoff games as the Stars lost in the Western Conference final for the third consecutive year. Edmonton beat Dallas in five games after winning in six last year.
The 23-year-old Bourque signed for $950,000, the Stars said Friday. He tallied 25 points (11 goals) last season. Bourque was the 30th overall pick in the first round by Dallas in 2020.
Bourque made his NHL debut on April 6, 2024, the only game he played in 2023-24. He also made one playoff appearance that season.
Lundkvist has been a disappointment since the Stars traded a first-round pick for him before the 2022-23 season. He was drafted in the first round by the New York Rangers in 2018.
Injuries limited the 24-year-old to 39 games in the regular season, and Lundkvist didn’t appear in the postseason after playing sparingly in most of his 12 playoff appearances in 2024. His second consecutive one-year contract is for $1.25 million.
Lundkvist has 44 points (nine goals) in 183 games over four seasons.
Canes’ Robinson signs 4-year deal
Raleigh, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes have re-signed depth forward Eric Robinson to a four-year contract worth $6.8 million.
General manager Eric Tulsky announced the extension Friday. Robinson will count $1.7 million against the salary cap through the 2028-29 NHL season.
The Bellmawr, New Jersey, native set career highs with 14 goals, 18 assists and 32 points this past season after joining the Hurricanes as a free agent. Robinson had three points in 15 games on their run to the Eastern Conference final, which ended with a series loss to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers.
“It’s no surprise to us that Eric had his best professional season last year with Carolina,” Tulsky said. “His size and speed make him an excellent fit for the way we want to play.”
Carolina has made the playoffs seven consecutive years since Rod Brind’Amour took over as coach. Robinson’s only previous playoff experience in the league came in the 2020 bubble with Columbus.
Robinson, 30, has played 413 NHL regular-season and playoff games with the Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres and Hurricanes since debuting in 2018.
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.