There’s a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand’s locker. The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as “The Rat” among hockey fans.

Marchand has been exactly that -- and then some -- since being acquired from the Bruins on March 7 for a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. He had four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 regular-season games for Florida after returning from an upper-body injury.

Brad Marchand and Sergei Bobrovsky proved again in the Florida Panthers’ 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3

Despite Brad Marchand dominating in these playoffs, it's still a bit surreal to see him wearing a Florida Panthers jersey rather than the Boston Bruins threads

Once Atlantic Division rivals, the pair of forwards are making NHL history with fantastic play through the first three games of the final.

No, not the real rodent. It's sort of related to the tradition of Panthers die-hards throwing plastic rats on the ice after a win at home. But after Marchand was acquired, his teammates started shooting those rats at him after victories.

The Stanley Cup Final is tied at 1-1 entering Game 3 thanks to Brad Marchand, who broke loose in the second overtime of Game 2 and scored the winning goal

Patrice Bergeron was never a member of either team playing in this year’s Stanley Cup Final, but his allegiance is with his longtime friend and former teammate.