Pat Maroon’s Legacy is Being the Ultimate Teammate

It was easy to understand why Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson signed veteran forward Pat Maroon last summer. Maroon has 841 NHL games of experience and won three straight Stanley Cups between 2019 and 2021 with the St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning. He provides a certain toughness on the ice and priceless experience and knowledge off of it, two things this locker room needs.

Before Saturday’s loss to the Blues, Maroon told CHSN’s Darren Pang that this would be his final season during an emotional interview from the ice.

After the game, the Blues named the St. Louis native the First Star of the Game and let him have a final moment in front of his friends and family. He capped off his whirlwind of a weekend by scoring the opening goal in the Blackhawks 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.

“You never know when you’re going to score your last goal,” Maroon said after Sunday’s game. “This is why we play the game, play it hard. Obviously, it’s emotional, right? You don’t know when you’re going to score again.”

If that was his final NHL goal, he leaves a legacy that goes far beyond his accomplishments on the ice. Many Blackhawks fans this year have wondered why Maroon has played as much as he has. Nearly every lineup post with him in it had at least one response asking why he’s not scratched. Sure, he isn’t the fastest skater, and sometimes his demeanor makes you wonder if he’s just going through the motions. After covering him this season, I assure you he never just goes through the motions. He cares more about this team and their success than anyone else in that locker room.

“I enjoy this game as much as I can every day,” he said. “I come in and smile, joke around. This game has given me everything and more, and I’ve always played like it’s my last game no matter what happens, and I’m going to continue to do that.”

Maroon is the most respected veteran in the Blackhawks locker room. Whether he’s bringing Lukas Reichel with him to St. Louis for Christmas or getting into a fight to defend a teammate, he is loved by those he goes to war with.

“He’s an amazing guy, an amazing teammate, somebody that I look up to a lot, and he’s a winner,” Ryan Donato said of Maroon. “So having him in our locker room is super special. It was a great moment for him, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. I wish him nothing but the best, and he’s an awesome guy. Can’t say enough about him.”

Donato could not say enough good things about Maroon on Sunday. He called him “a perfect example of a guy who knows how to win” and hoped the young guys would be a sponge around him for the last few games of the season.

Maroon sits back in the locker room and observes what’s going on. When he speaks up, people listen. That’s the respect that comes with having your name on the Stanley Cup three times. There is a reason that there are so many videos of him getting the tool belt after a win, even though he only has five goals.

“One thing I’m going to miss is the camaraderie with the guys, the banter in the room and the grind with the guys, the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the process of doing all that stuff with everyone,” Maroon said. “But I’m going to enjoy these last few moments with my family and these last couple of weeks. After that, we’ll go from there.”

Maroon has come a long way from being the Flyers’ sixth-round pick in 2007. He’s carved out a niche for himself, with contending teams constantly wanting his services. Blackhawks fans remember Maroon from the 2015 Western Conference Finals when Patrick Kane chirped him about playing roller hockey. His particular skill set earned him 163 career Stanley Cup playoff games between the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Blues, Lightning, and Boston Bruins.  

“I remember starting in 2008-09 at the old Spectrum,” Maroon reminisced. “Getting drafted by Philly, I was a young 19-year-old kid. I’m turning 37 here in a couple of weeks. I’m shocked I played this long, but God has given me the strength to continue to play. Sometimes, players take this league for granted, and you don’t realize how fast it really goes.

“I just appreciate the day. I’m in the NHL; I’m like a little kid every shift, every goal, every point, every fight. You get to do it on the main stage in front of 18,000 fans a night. I’m still a kid putting on my skates, just like I was in Atom Hockey. I just love the game, and I appreciate it so much.”

A few years from now, Maroon will likely be one of those guys that fans say, “Oh yeah, I forgot he played for the Blackhawks,” when they hear his name. But anyone who has played a game with him will always remember “The Big Rig” as one of their favorite teammates.