In case Florida Panthers fans missed the headlines a few weeks ago, RotoWire released the results of its recent study to determine the most hated players in the NHL.
Unsurprisingly, the top two most hated players in the league are none other than multi-time Stanley Cup winners Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand.
Although the formula RotoWire used to calculate these results is a little unorthodox, they based their assessment on “fan sentiment, rivalries, and playoff history”; they did give fans something to cheer and jeer about: a list of well-known names, both beloved and loathed at the same time.
Considering Tkachuk left the Calgary Flames in 2022, informing the club he had no intention of staying long-term, he not only upset the local fanbase in Western Canada but, after helping the United States defeat Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, also drew boos across the entire country post-Olympics.
Meanwhile, Marchand, born and raised in Nova Scotia, became a thorn in the side of Eastern Canada by playing for 16 years with the Boston Bruins and winning the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks.
As one of the NHL’s greatest agitators, Marchand is not only a “little ball of hate” but also one of his generation’s best overall players with more than 1,100 games and 1,000 points on his resume.
When looking at the list of most-hated players, Tkachuk and Marchand are joined by some of the game’s best, including Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and, of course, legend Sidney Crosby.
Although no one likes these superstars because of their abundance of successes, including scoring titles, Stanley Cups, and other personal accolades, this list also includes other nemeses such as Tom Wilson, Jamie Benn, and Mark Stone, who have unique reputations across the league for questionable play on and off the ice.
Right now, the Panthers have the inside track to the top spots on the list, with Tkachuk and Marchand combining for 24 regions, which nearly equals the combined totals of McKinnon, McDavid, and Crosby.
Now that the Panthers have brought back Radko Gudas and traded for Garnett Hathaway and Brady Tkachuk, the club now has the NHL’s top three hit leaders since the 2020-21 season.
Opponents and fans disliked Florida over the past few seasons after the team brought in several superstars that helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final over three consecutive seasons, and will dislike them even more now that they will be that much more difficult to play against.
However, there is one thing for certain about this list and its top players moving forward. Tkachuk is only 28 and has four years left on his current deal, which is one season less than Marchand, 38, who has five seasons left. As two core members of one of the NHL’s elite teams, they have no chance of being overtaken at the top of RotoWire’s list for the remainder of the decade.
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