Brad Marchand may have broken Matthew Tkachuk in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.
I think it is safe to say that we have all been blown away by the performance of 37 year old veteran National Hockey League forward Brad Marchand in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with even the most die hard of Marchand haters being forced to acknowledge just how great of a playoff performer he has been in this series and throughout his career in the NHL.
It is one thing to leave fans in disbelief however, and another matter entirely when your own teammates are left shocked at the unbelievable plays you're making out on the ice.
I would argue that there has been no better example of this in these 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs than Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, a game in which Marchand caused even the normally unshakeable Matthew Tkachuk to come completely unglued on the bench.
It was Marchand's second goal of the game that caused Tkachuk to lose his mind on the bench, a goal in which Marchand completely undressed both Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman and Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard on his way to an unbelievable goal off the back of an incredible individual effort.
In that moment, Tkachuk seemed to lose the ability to speak.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," exclaimed Tkachuk six times in succession.
Not only did the moment leave Tkachuk's jaw on the floor, but the rest of his body seemed to be in shock as well. Tkachuk wandered around on the bench as if lost , first hugging Aleksander Barkov from behind before seemingly looking for another teammate to hug before hugging Dmitri Kulikov from behind like he had with Barkov.
Here's a look at the replay of both the goal and Tkachuk's unbelievable reaction:
Marchand's ability to leave his own teammates stunned in the biggest moments of the year are part of the reason many are starting to mention his name in connection to the Conn Smythe Trophy.
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