Bill Zito‘s love for ice cream is well-known. The Florida Panthers’ top brass enjoys the frozen dessert so much that after the Cats won the Stanley Cup in 2024, Zito brought the trophy to Kopp’s, the place where he used to work earlier in his life. “This was the place to go for ice cream growing up,” revealed Bill. Ordering a massive bucket of chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet, the GM enjoyed the delectable straight off the Cup. And now, it looks like he might have found a fellow ice cream connoisseur in Brad Marchand.

The defending champs are one step closer to holding back the Cup in Miami. With a sturdy 3-0 lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals, Brad Marchand & Co. are technically just one win away from making it to their third straight Stanley Cup Finals. And the celebrations might have started early for the 37-year-old Canadian winger.

After Game 3, Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas caught up with Marchand, and among the many things they discussed was the Panthers’ off-day run to a Dairy Queen in Raleigh. In a genius move, when Bukauskas brought up the question, Sportsnet cut to a video of the veteran forward eating something off a spoon in the dressing room just ahead of the third period. “That’s a little chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard right there. You can’t beat it. It’s the best dessert in the world”, revealed Marchand. “So I’d better get a lifetime free supply of Dairy Queen now.” But as unambiguous as Marchand’s praise was, the brand or the cup wasn’t visible in the video. So reporters wanted to confirm his claim. Quite unsurprisingly, they went to Paul Maurice.

In a YouTube upload by the official Panthers account from May 25, head coach Paul Maurice‘s interaction with the reporters on Sunday was shared. During the presser, Coach Maurice was asked if Brad Marchand was actually having ice cream after the second period during Game 3 against the Canes. “I know he said it, I’m just not sure that makes it a fact.” The veteran coach was reluctant to admit that his star forward was making dietary infractions right under his nose at the Amerant Bank Arena.

But given Bill Zito’s fondness for the dessert, Maurice made it clear that he wouldn’t be surprised if Marchand had some support in doing so. “This is a conspiracy theory. I know that our general manager’s a little bit of a ice cream aficionado, so maybe that comes from him, maybe he green-lighted it,” Paul said with a grin that Brad might have taken advantage of the head honchos at the Florida camp.

“There’s a story, Bill Zito’s feeding the guys ice cream in between periods, but I know where he got it too, I know the company he uses. This is deep. There’s lots of different angles on this story,” Maurice went on to hint at where Brad Marchand might have found the courage.

However, on learning that Marchand claimed that it was a DQ ice cream, he took back his words. “Well, that takes Bill out,” he said, quite possibly recalling how Kopp’s is Bill’s go-to place whenever he craves ice cream. And now, it looks like Bard Marchand is also en route to getting addicted to the GM’s guilty pleasure. But the Florida staff wouldn’t be the ones to complain about it.

Brad Marchand has more than ice cream to enjoy with the Cats

When the Boston Bruins traded their long-time captain in March, it was a shocker for the entire hockey community. Brad, too, was heartbroken with his almost two-decade-long association with Boston coming to an end. “It’s sad to leave a place I look at as home,” Marchand noted, but also claimed that looking at the way forward was all on his point at that point. And his optimism soon paid off.

The ex-Bruins captain arrived in Miami and instantly found out that he and the Cats were a match made in heaven. The Panthers’ aggressive play style was easy for him to adapt to. “When you’re part of the locker room that we have, it doesn’t come often,” Marchand thanked his stars for finding him a new camp that aligned with his hockey needs. The Panthers’ high command also couldn’t be happier to have him on board.

“His personality has helped his linemates. He’s helped our team,” Bill Zito himself noted how Brad’s presence in the Florida locker room was like a breath of fresh air for the athletes. Probably explains why the GM might not mind the forward indulging in some dessert in between periods.

And Marchand, being the veteran hockey player he is, is returning the favor in kind. From being the architect behind the Toronto Maple Leafs’ departure from the 2025 playoffs to bagging 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in his debut postseason campaign with the Panthers so far, Brad’s been incredible, to say the least. Going forward, there could be two possible storylines concerning Marchand—whether he gets to lift the Stanley Cup with the team that he had long seen as rivals, and whether Dairy Queen agrees to give him a lifetime free supply of ice cream. Which one do you think is more likely to pan out?