For 28 seconds, Pat Maroon soaked in the moment.
He stepped through the gate on the Blackhawks bench, swiveled towards the red line, clapped his hands to return the ovation Enterprise Center was giving him, pointed towards his former teammates on the Blues bench, and then returned to the bench. In his final NHL game in St. Louis, Maroon savored every second as the hometown kid was showered with hometown love.
“When I’m done here, I’m going to be a Blues fan,” Maroon said. “I’ll be coming to games, just like all the other alumni. It’s going to be fun coming back here and watching the Blues play. St. Louis kid get the opportunity to end on a high note, get the opportunity to actually play in St. Louis to end the year.
“It’s pretty remarkable. I couldn’t write a better script on how all this transpired today. I’m really happy, like I said, with the St. Louis Blues. I’m happy where I’m at. I’m content. Whatever happens in the next chapter, I’m just going to have to go do it again.”
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Before the Blues beat the Blackhawks 4-1 on Saturday afternoon, Maroon told former Blues broadcaster Darren Pang in a warmup bench interview that he would be retiring after the season. Maroon’s 14th season would be his last, and Saturday would be his last game inside the place he called home when he helped the Blues win a Stanley Cup during 2018-19.
That set off an afternoon of emotions for the 36-year-old Oakville native.
Maroon was in the starting lineup for Chicago, and stood on the blue line during the national anthem.
“I looked (around) a lot, especially during the national anthem and especially on the bench, TV timeouts,” Maroon said. “This city means a lot to me. The fanbase means a lot. The organization means a lot to me. Some of those guys that I won with mean a lot to me. I can’t thank them enough for helping me make tonight successful.”
He joined Andy Strickland on FanDuel Sports Network during the first intermission to discuss his retirement. During the second period, the Blues honored Maroon by showing his most famous goal – the double-overtime winner in Game 7 against Dallas in the second round – and his parade quip (“I’m a hometown hero, baby!” and the crowd responded with a rousing ovation.
After the game, the Blues named Maroon the No. 1 star of the game, allowing him to address the arena in an interview with Jamie Rivers.
“I was shocked what the Blues did for me tonight,” Maroon said. “They didn’t have to do that. Obviously, I’ve been talking about it with my wife and my family. I’ve done everything I could in this league. I have no regrets. Just having a conversation with Panger, it kind of blew up. First, I wanted to thank the St. Louis Blues organization for really making this night really special for me and my family.”
Maroon even got into one more scrap in St. Louis, fighting Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker in the third period.
“I guess I can (still throw them),” Maroon said. “That was kind of an organic fight. Just kind of happened. I didn’t think that was going to happen. Tucker’s a great competitor. He’s a great fighter. Just kind of crosschecked me, I crosschecked him. I kind of knew something was going to happen. He’s a great kid. It’s a great opportunity. If it’s my last fight in St. Louis, that’s pretty cool.”
Maroon will end his NHL career as one of the best hockey players that St. Louis has produced.
He played high school hockey at Oakville High School before moving on to play junior hockey (even including one season with the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL). At 840 NHL games, Maroon is third all-time in games played by a Missouri-born player.
Maroon was a sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2007, and didn’t reach the NHL until 2011 with the Ducks. Including the Blackhawks, Maroon has played for eight NHL teams. He’s won three Stanley Cups – one with the Blues, and two with the Lightning. Maroon said retiring has “been in the back of my head all year.”
“I’ve given everything I have, and I want to go out on my own terms,” Maroon said. “I don’t want to be scratching and clawing for a contract, and them telling you you’re out. I wanted to leave on my own terms and when I was ready. I’m excited for my new chapter in life. Just going to finish hard. You guys know I play between the whistles and as hard as I can. Every time I get over the boards, it’s like my last shift ever. I’m going to continue to do that.”
Maroon – listed at 6-3 and 234 pounds – was affectionately nicknamed “The Big Rig” as he combined physicality and toughness with an occasional scoring touch down the lineup. He once scored 27 goals in 2016-17, and three times topped 100 penalty minutes.
“St. Louis kid, growing up here, I was 352 games in the minors, and 840 games in the NHL right now,” Maroon said. “Who would’ve thought that? I’m just happy I got to win in my hometown, and go on to win two more. I’ve achieved everything I thought (I could). I probably overachieved sometimes.
“I was against all odds, and I beat the odds. I was always a person, I was self-motivated. I wanted to do it all on my own because (everyone) had doubt in me. Everyone doubted me, and I wanted to put that doubt in everyone else’s face.”
The Blues recalled Dvorsky from AHL affiliate Springfield on Saturday night after they won their fifth straight game, beating the Blackhawks 4-1.
During a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon, the Blues did not resemble the same group that had dominated possession consistently and controlled games at will.
During a win against Vancouver, Tucker had a goal and an assist for the first multi-point game of his NHL career – in the Blues’ biggest game of the season.
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