“This is a conspiracy theory,” smirked Paul Maurice as he didn’t exactly admit to (he didn’t deny it either) star forward Brad Marchand‘s mid-game dietary indiscipline. However, one thing’s for sure: the Canadian winger was having a treat for himself just ahead of the third period in Game 3 between the Cats and the Canes. And it looks like the fans have swooped in to get on board the speculation train for Game 4.

Today’s game could be the final one of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Florida Panthers might be lacing up one last time against the Carolina Hurricanes this postseason, as the Miami team attempts to make it to its third straight Stanley Cup Finals. A sturdy 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 game series would suggest that the momentum is firmly on the side of the defending champs. But the fans believe it’s actually Brad Marchand’s secret “Dessert” Eagle (come on, it was right there).

In a post on X from May 26, B/R Open Ice shared the hilarious poster that appeared in the stands of the Amerant Bank Arena for tonight’s game. Captioned, “Bizzard” warning in Florida again before Game 4,” the post shows how the fans are running with whatever speculations they have about what Brad Marchand was having in between periods in the previous match.

“Marchand hit the Hurricanes with a Bizzard,” despite the spelling error, the message isn’t unclear. Brad Marchand had joked previously that it was ice cream from Dairy Queen that was keeping him company in Game 3. While he did admit later what the dessert actually was, it seems like fans didn’t waste the opportunity to come up with their version of psychological warfare against Carolina.

“It was honey. I was having honey. It was a spoonful of honey,” Brad told The Athletic the truth about what he was having in the last game. And yet, the fans could hardly stop themselves from focusing on the alleged ice cream side of things. What’s more? Even Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald stopped by Dairy Queen before heading to Game 4. However, he had his own preference as ar as flavor was concerned. “Sorry, Brad Marchand; I went Oreo instead of chocolate chip cookie dough — although a couple #FlaPanthers fans who got here right after me followed in his footsteps,” wrote McPherson as he shared a photo of his choice of guilty pleasure on X. It looks like the veteran’s little joke is bringing DQ some serious footfall.

But Marchand, for one, apparently knows where to draw the line. “I love a good Blizzard more than anybody — but it’s not something I’ve had in the middle of the game,” Marchand told The Athletic. He was surprised at how many people took his joke about eating ice cream during intermission seriously.

Well, while that marks the end of Blizzard-Gate, let’s look at what’s still on.

Ice cream or not, Brad Marchand is definitely living it up in Florida

If anything, Brad Marchand’s 2024-25 season has been marked with highs as well as lows. From winning the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off cup with his Canadian teammates in February to being traded by the Boston Bruins just weeks later, it was a rollercoaster for him, undoubtedly. Parting ways with his long-time squad after almost twenty years was a hard pill to swallow.

But being the spirited athlete he is, Brad Marchand took things as they were. To his surprise, the Florida Panthers proved a squad whose play style was in sync with his own, and the two hit it off instantly. While the winger didn’t get to show his worth in the regular season by a good measure, his stats in the postseason have made up for the miss. As of now, he has 13 points (4 goals and 9 assists) to his name.

And with Florida GM Bill Zito around, we wouldn’t be surprised if Marchand actually gets to sneak in some ice cream sometimes, either. But now, as the Canes put their feet forward in Game 4 (Carolina leads the Panthers 1-0 during the writing of the article) could Brad feel better off with some ice cream to keep him company? What do you think?