PHILADELPHIA , PA - OCTOBER 13: Left Wing Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers is shown during the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Florida Panthers on October 13th, 2025 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Brad Marchand fined $5,000 for destroying Rasmus Dahlin’s helmet in Saturday’s game
  • The Panthers forward ripped off the straps and tossed the helmet from penalty box
  • Watch the wild video of Marchand’s helmet antics, plus reaction below

Brad Marchand’s wallet is $5,000 lighter after Saturday’s shenanigans against Buffalo.

The NHL Department of Player Safety fined the Panthers forward the maximum amount allowed for unsportsmanlike conduct. That money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

It all started midway through the second period when Rasmus Dahlin knocked Marchand down from behind. No penalty was called, and that made Marchand completely lose it.

First, Marchand hauled Dahlin to the ice and threw some punches. But that wasn’t enough for the “Rat”. He grabbed Dahlin’s helmet, carried it all the way to the penalty box, ripped off the straps, and tossed it back onto the ice like yesterday’s garbage.

Video:

A fan sitting beside the penalty box received a souvenir they will never forget:

(BTW: what’s up with the fan wearing a Sabres toque and Panthers jersey??)

The refs handed Marchand four minutes in penalties for interference and roughing. Buffalo scored on the power play and went on to shut out the Panthers 3-0.

Dahlin had to borrow Peyton Krebs’ helmet while his got patched up. The Sabres’ captain shrugged off the whole thing after the game.

“Whoever gets the most angry is usually the one that gets the penalty,” Dahlin told The Athletic. “You have to stay calm in those moments.”

Reaction to Marchand’s Actions

Since Marchand earns $5.25 million a year, the $5,000 fine is basically lunch money for him. Some fans online joked he’ll have to skip a few trips to Dairy Queen this month. Others wondered if the helmet would get fined, too.

On a more serious note, Marchand could have easily been suspended instead of just fined. Damaging player safety equipment is usually a big no-no in professional sports.

One fan floated the idea that Marchand wanted a suspension to avoid his Boston homecoming on Tuesday. He spent his entire career there before joining Florida at the deadline last March.

Nobody’s shocked by Marchand’s behavior. He has been suspended eight times and fined seven times in his career. However, he had cleaned things up a bit. The last time he was fined was in February 2023 for tripping Seattle’s Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Panthers Are Slumping

The Panthers have lost four games in a row after starting the season 3-0. Injuries to Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk aren’t helping matters. Now they head to Boston for a reunion everyone will be watching on Tuesday night.

The defending champs are sitting fifth in the Atlantic Division standings at 3-4-0. If they don’t get it together soon, those helmet straps won’t be the only thing coming apart this season.