It was another scorching Sunday morning in Florida, but that didn’t stop the hundreds of thousands of fans who lined the streets of Fort Lauderdale ready to greet their champions. And as the crowd grew, the barricades buckled under the pressure as security personnel held it all back for the Florida Panthers’ victory parade. While approximately 200,000 people lined the same street last year, this year it seemed that even more people had gathered to greet the team and the unlikely hero, Brad Marchand.

The 37-year-old who had played against the Panthers in a Bruins’ jersey just months before the Stanley Cup playoffs handed the Panthers some incredibly clutch victories after the trade deadline transfer. And guess what? The Rat King’s influence went far beyond the rink, as Eetu Luostarinen revealed to Aamulypsy, “one of the most popular Finnish morning radio shows.”

While their conversation was in Finnish, X-user @FlaKitties was kind enough to translate the whole exchange for Panthers fans. It was through his translation that fans got to know how and why the hosts called Luostarinen “pellit kiinni.” Turns out it translates to “flapped closed,” a term for addressing “black out drunkenness,” in Finnish. And who did Luostarinen blame for it? Brad Marchand.

The Panthers’ star explained that he tried to keep things tame because of his responsibilities as a father. However, one of the hosts claimed the 26-year-old does let it loose when those “responsibilities are fulfilled.” And that’s when the Cats’ forward let the cat out of the bag. “We have had maybe even harder partying this second time around than last year,” confessed the NHL star.

“Last year, it went very well, but our Rat, Brad Marchand, has brought some new energy to our locker room and even to partying,” Luostarinen added. “You gotta run pretty fast if you wanna keep up with him,” he said while talking about Marchand’s energy levels as 37. And you could feel it from the excitement Marchand showed during the Panthers’ victory parade.

Brad Marchand helped lay the foundations of a dynasty

The hockey veteran’s first playoffs with the Panthers was sheer magic, as the Rat King turned his one of his worst regular seasons (21 goals, 26 assists) into a record-breaking postseason. So the former Bruin captain has certainly earned his pass to party hard. So, on parade day, the Florida Panthers forward held nothing back. “This has been unbelievable,” said Marchand.

“I never could have imagined to be part of something so special. I’m so happy I don’t have to play against these guys anymore,” said the NHL veteran. The former Bruin even brought his family to the celebration, as did other Panthers stars. So as his two daughters sat on a pedestal alongside the Stanley Cup, the hockey forward thanked his stars. What’s more? Marchand’s statement was a huge clue.

Marchand had already hinted at signing a four-year contract during the team’s celebrations at the Elbo Room. Now, his admission of being glad they won’t have to play against the Panthers is an even bigger hint that the contract negotiations may be going smoothly. So it may be safe to say that the 16-year Stanley Cup veteran will be here for what Aleksander Barkov wants to make an annual event.

“I think I like to get together at this time of the year,” said the Florida Panthers captain, after crediting everyone from the management, coaching staff, and fans for their back-to-back Stanley Cup victories. “We can all be together again next year,” added Barkov, alluding to a Stanley Cup hat-trick in June. And the rest of his teammates agree.

In fact, Matthew Tkachuk already believes the Panthers to be a dynasty. “Hell yeah. Absolutely, absolutely,” said Tkachuk. Yet, what did you think of Luostarinen’s hilarious admission regarding Brad Marchand’s party animal side? Write your opinions in the comments.