On Saturday, Pat Maroon announced he would be retiring at the end of the season. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion will retire after 14 years in the league with eight different teams. In honour of the “Big Rig’s” career, we would like to offer a tribute to a successful career.
A Tribute to Pat Maroon
Maroon is known around the league as a reliable forward who will play physically. He is not afraid to drop the gloves with a daring opponent. Furthermore, he has a knack for finding the back of the net when needed.
The Beginning of Success
This tribute to Maroon starts during the 2014-15 season. Maroon was still getting a feel for the NHL but had played in 71 games that regular season, which was a career-high at the time. However, Maroon would find another level in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 16 games with the Anaheim Ducks, Maroon scored eight goals. He was tied for third on the team in goals and, despite his physical play style, limited the amount of penalties he took. Unfortunately, Maroon and the Ducks would lose in seven games in the Western Conference Final.
Maroon and McDavid
Despite acquiring Milan Lucic to play alongside Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers quickly realized Maroon was better for playing alongside the star forward. Maroon and McDavid promptly became a dynamic duo in Edmonton. McDavid reached 100 points in the season, with part of that being the assists he picked up on Maroon’s career-high 27 goals. In 13 playoff games that year, Maroon recorded eight points. The Oilers reached Game 7 of the second round before being eliminated by Maroon’s former team, the Ducks.
Maroon and McDavid may have been an unlikely duo, but that made that season special. Many Oilers fans who think back to that season will remember the contributions of the “Big Rig.”
Briefly Dancing with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight
Unfortunately, Maroon was not an Oiler much longer. The following season, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils, where he made an immediate impact, recording 13 points in 16 games. Maroon earned praise from many teammates for what he brought to the team. Even in a short stint, Maroon still made an impact.
That impact made Maroon a seemingly coveted player in the summer of 2018. However, few teams reached out. After switching agents, Maroon nearly returned to the Devils. However, he decided against a reunion in New Jersey. The team he chose to sign with would change his career forever. Furthermore, Maroon changed the fortunes of this franchise in return.
Home Sweet Home
Maroon signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues to return to his hometown and be closer to his family. The acquisition of Maroon was the last of a series of transactions that turned the Blues into Stanley Cup contenders for the 2018-19 season. The team had signed Tyler Bozak and had also traded for Ryan O’Reilly. Furthermore, they brought back David Perron for a third time. The Blues were ready to be serious contenders.
However, the season could not have started any worse for the Blues. Head coach Mike Yeo was fired in November, and the team began January in last place. For Maroon, he was struggling, and there were rumours the Blues would be trading him. Then, a special night in Philadelphia happened. Jordan Binnington took the reigns in goal for the Blue Note. An 11-game winning streak took place. Maroon’s play improved as well. The forward ended up scoring ten goals in 74 games for the Blues.
Then the playoffs started. The legacy of Pat Maroon began right away in Game 1 of the first round. Playing with a heavy heart in light of the passing of his grandfather days before the game, Maroon picked up the primary assist on the game-winning goal. In the next game, Maroon scored a game-tying goal in the second period of a Blues win.
Hometown Hero
In the second round against the Dallas Stars, Maroon scored a game-winning goal with less than two minutes left in the third period of Game 3. Playing alongside Bozak and Robert Thomas, Maroon helped create a dominant third line for the Blues.
That third line came through clutch in Game 7 of the series. The Blues had dominated the Stars throughout regulation and the first overtime period. However, Ben Bishop was a brick wall in the net for the Stars. As the second overtime started, the Blues began to slow down. The Stars started to take over the play. It seemed that the game would not last much longer. The marathon would be ending soon. Who would be winning and advancing?
Then the Blues got an offensive-zone face-off. Maroon’s line was sent out for the draw. Bozak won the draw cleanly and passed quickly to Maroon, who promptly passed the puck to Thomas. Maroon then headed for the front of the net as Thomas’s shot hit the goal post and fell in the crease behind Bishop. Using his big body, Maroon reached over and knocked the puck in for the win. The Blues were going to the Western Conference Final. The dream season was continuing. The “Big Rig” had become a hometown hero.
His Game 7 goal would be the final goal of the playoffs for the “Big Rig.” However, he was still an impact in the Blues lineup. The Blues would win their first Stanley Cup. Furthermore, Maroon, the hometown boy, was a key member of the team.
Back-to-Back-to-Back and Almost Another
Maroon joined the Lightning after winning the Stanley Cup with the Blues. With the Lightning, Maroon’s numbers did start to dip. He never recorded more than 27 points in a season with the Bolts. However, Maroon’s veteran leadership was key. Despite the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lightning would win the Stanley Cup in 2020. For Maroon, it was his second-straight Stanley Cup.
The following season, Maroon recorded just 18 points in 55 games. However, the Lightning did return to the Stanley Cup Final, with the Lightning leading the series 3-0 but trailing in the third period 2-1, Maroon scored to tie the game and force overtime. Had the Bolts won Game 4, Maroon’s goal would have stood out as another big goal by the “Big Rig.” However, the Lightning lost in overtime, making Maroon’s goal a footnote. The Lightning would win Game 5, 1-0, to win the Stanley Cup again. For Maroon, he became the first player to win three straight Stanley Cups with different teams since the expansion era began in 1967.
Maroon advanced to his fourth-straight Stanley Cup Final in his third year in Tampa Bay in the 2021-22 season. However, a fourth Stanley Cup was not to be, as the Lightning were finally dethroned.
Wild, Bruins, Blackhawks
After playing one more season with the Lightning, Maroon spent parts of the next two seasons with the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Injuries derailed Maroon’s time in Minnesota and Boston. In Chicago, Maroon has served as a mentor to a young team looking to rebuild and contend.
The St. Louis boy would give the city of St. Louis one final memory. In Saturday’s game. Maroon dropped the gloves with Tyler Tucker, giving Blues fans one more memory of the “Big Rig.” After the game, Maroon was named the first star as the fans saluted their hometown hero again for the final time in Maroon’s playing career.
No. 1
of the game: Pat Maroon
What a full circle moment
pic.twitter.com/FU0Uxvt5Cm
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 22, 2025
A Constant
Maroon wore many different hats in his career. He was a scorer alongside one of the best players of all time. He was a leader to a young team looking to find their footing. He was a depth piece on a team that went back-to-back in one of the strangest periods of hockey history. Of course, he was also a hometown hero.
The hats may have been different. The teams he played for may have been different. What Maroon was on the score sheet and in the lineup may have changed, but the one that they never changed was his passion for hockey. Maroon never quit trying. He never stopped trying to make his team better. Maroon never settled for less than his very best. In turn, that attitude rubbed off on his teammates. He was a constant leader in some way, shape, or form. Was Maroon the best player on the Blues and Lightning Stanley Cup teams? No. Was he the most valuable? No, but he certainly brought value.
Pat Maroon may not go down in the record books. However, he has a place in the history of all the teams he played for—he was a constant presence.
As Maroon plays out the final days of his NHL career, we will see if any more moments await him. Regardless, Maroon will leave the ice for the final, which will be loved by his teammates and respected by the opponent. Many fans will agree that Maroon’s career is something to be celebrated.
We end our tribute by tipping our hat to Pat Maroon, the “Big Rig, ” the hometown hero, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry- Imagn Images
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