Patrick Maroon
Patrick Maroon is an American former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League. Nicknamed "Big Rig", Maroon played for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. Maroon is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning in three consecutive seasons.
Growing up in St. Louis, Maroon attended Oakville High School where he was recruited to play in the North American Hockey League by Kelly Chase and Al MacInnis. Following two standout seasons with the Texarkana Bandits, he was drafted 161st overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 NHL entry draft. He spent three years within their organization before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks and subsequently making his NHL debut in the 2011–12 season.
Maroon played three seasons at the NHL level with the Ducks where he made an impact during their 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs run. Due to inconsistency, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils before landing with his hometown St. Louis Blues in 2018.
In his only season with the Blues, he helped them win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history. He would win the Stanley Cup twice more in the next two years with the Lightning, becoming one of twelve players in NHL history to win back-to-back Stanley Cups on different teams, and the first since Cory Stillman in 2006. In 2021, Maroon became the first player to win three consecutive Stanley Cups since several members of the New York Islanders did so from 1980 to 1983.
Early life
Maroon was born on April 23, 1988, in St. Louis, Missouri, to parents Patti and Phil Maroon. His father formerly played Division I soccer at St. Louis University and wished to encourage his sons to play the sport. He grew up the youngest of four siblings, two brothers, and one sister. His father owned season tickets to the St. Louis Blues and he would alternate going to games with his brother Phil or one would sit on their father's lap. When reflecting on his childhood, Maroon said, "My family has been the biggest influence on my career...my parents have always been so dedicated and my brothers were always into the game, and helped me along."Growing up in St. Louis, Maroon attended Rogers Elementary and Oakville Middle School. He attended Oakville High School in St. Louis County, Missouri, but left before graduating to pursue junior-level hockey. He was not pictured—or even listed as “not pictured”—in the 2005 or 2006 Oakville High School yearbooks, suggesting he was no longer enrolled after his sophomore year. However, he does appear in a team photo for the Oakville ice hockey club during his sophomore year, though the team was not affiliated with the school.
By the 2005–2006 season, Maroon was playing for the Texarkana Bandits of the North American Hockey League, marking the start of his junior hockey career.
He played minor ice hockey for the St. Louis Amateur Blues from 2003 until 2005, where he was nicknamed "Fat Pat" due to his size, 6 ft 1 in and 260 lb. In order to improve his playmaking ability, Maroon would stickhandle a golf ball in his garage for hours and skate in roller rinks.
As a youth, Maroon also competed in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Blues minor ice hockey team. In 2004, Maroon was drafted in the 11th round of the Ontario Hockey League draft by the London Knights but was dismissed from their training camp due to his weight.
When he entered high school with his older brother Justin, Maroon earned a spot on the varsity team as a freshman.
Playing career
Early career
While playing high school hockey, Maroon caught the attention of Kelly Chase and Al MacInnis who had recently purchased a North American Hockey League team, the Texarkana Bandits. After meeting with his parents, Maroon joined their team for one season and recorded 60 points in 57 games. He was subsequently named to the NAHL's All-Rookie Team. As the team was in its early stages, Maroon and other rookies would build the rink, paint the ice, and put up boards, as well as cover the ice if the rodeo was in town. In spite of his success, he still went undrafted in the 2006 NHL entry draft and Chase and MacInnis encouraged him to work out every day. This resulted in him losing 30 pounds over the summer and increasing his offensive output to 95 points in 57 games during the 2006–07 season. In the same season, the team moved to St. Louis and won their first Robertson Cup National Championship title. During their playoff berth, Maroon recorded 23 points in 12 playoff games and set the league record for most points in a single postseason. Maroon subsequently became the first Bandits player to win the NAHL's MVP award and was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round, 161st overall, in the 2007 NHL entry draft. He had been unaware he had been drafted until his father saw his name on ESPN while watching Maroon at a roller hockey tournament. Prior to his selection, Maroon was ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as a "B" prospect, meaning he was expected to be drafted in the later rounds.Following the draft, Maroon was assigned to major junior ice hockey team, the London Knights of the OHL, who had drafted him in the 2004 OHL Selection Draft. Maroon had been invited to the Flyers' rookie and main training camps but was reassigned to the Knights after one exhibition game with their American Hockey League affiliate. Although he had previously agreed to play NCAA ice hockey with Ferris State University, Mark and Dale Hunter convinced him to play in the OHL. When speaking about his decision, Maroon said "I am really excited about coming to London and playing for the Knights. I think it is a great place for me to develop to be a hockey player." Due to his consistent weight struggles, the Knights hired Maroon a personal trainer during the season and he dropped to 217 pounds. In his first, and only, season with the team Maroon was named to the Western Conference All-Star Team and earned team MVP. He ended the season leading the team with 90 points in 64 games and one assist in five playoff games before joining the Flyers' AHL affiliate the Philadelphia Phantoms. He played one game with the Phantoms as they closed out their 2007–08 season.
Maroon began his first full professional season during the 2008–09 AHL season with the Phantoms after being assigned to the AHL following the Flyers' training camp. He ranked fourth on the team with 54 points in 80 games and recorded a team-high three points in four playoff games. The following year, the Phantoms were the only team in the league to record under 200 goals, of which Maroon contributed 11. His season lacked consistency due to injuries but he managed to set a new career-high in assists with 33.
During the summer of 2010, Maroon led the United States men's national inline hockey team to a gold medal performance at the 2010 IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship. He had been allowed on the team without trying out due to his infamous play at the AHL level. He scored 7 goals and 14 points in 6 games at the in-line worlds including a goal and an assist in the gold medal game in Karlstad, Sweden, against the Czech Republic. When he returned to the AHL, the coaching staff was unhappy with his conditioning and released him from the team. Head coach Greg Gilbert told the media that "he wasn't committed to himself...in Patrick's case, I don't really think he knew how to train and play at that level." His agent tried arranging for him to play in the ECHL or with a Swiss team but the Flyers wouldn't release his rights. For two months, he skated with the Montclair State University Red Hawks Men's Hockey team to stay in shape. He considered enrolling in college but was then informed he had been traded. On November 21, 2010, Philadelphia traded Maroon and David Laliberté to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Rob Bordson and defenseman Danny Syvret.
Professional (2011–present)
Anaheim Ducks (2011–2016)
Shortly after the trade, Maroon was assigned to Anaheim's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Upon his arrival in Syracuse, coach Mark Holick told him, "I traded my best player for you. I don't know what you did in Philly, but I hope you can play." He scored 11 minutes 10 seconds into his first game with the Crunch, and ended the season with 21 goals and 48 points in 57 games. Maroon credited his success to his off-season training and the Crunch's coaching staff. As a result of his successful season, he was invited to the Ducks' training camp prior to the 2011–12 season but was sent on waivers back to the Crunch. After scoring three points in the Crunch's home opener against his former team, the Ducks recalled him to the NHL level for his debut. He made his debut on October 25 against the Chicago Blackhawks, playing 15:19 minutes of ice time. He played two more games for the team alongside Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf before being returned to the AHL. Upon reuniting with the Crunch, Maroon eclipsed 200 AHL points and recorded a hat trick in a 6–3 win over the Norfolk Admirals. He was subsequently signed to a contract extension with the Ducks through the 2012–13 season.The 2012–13 season was shortened due to a lockout but when the Ducks returned to play, Maroon was placed on a line with Mathieu Perreault and Teemu Selanne. Speaking of the experience, Maroon said "hugging Teemu Selanne, scoring goals, you'll never forget those moments...Those are the moments I can tell Anthony, tell my future kids, that I played with the best players in the world." He played the majority of the season in the AHL but scored two goals in 11 games with the Ducks during call ups throughout the season. On March 21, 2013, the Ducks signed Maroon to a two-year contract extension. The 2013–14 season was Maroon's first full NHL season, during which he appeared in 62 games, scoring 11 goals to go with 18 assists. Although he had a year left on his contract, the Ducks signed him to a three-year contract extension on August 2, 2014.
In the final year of his second contract, Maroon appeared in 71 games, only missing a few due to injury. He missed four weeks at the beginning of the season due to a sprained MCL which he suffered during a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Upon returning to the lineup, Maroon would appear in 71 games, scoring a career high 9 goals with 25 assists. His offensive game came alive in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring eight goals in 16 games while playing on the Ducks' top line. Maroon was one of the Ducks' most consistent players during their series, finishing third on the team in goals and power play points as well as limited his penalty minutes.
In the 2015–16 season, Maroon found himself playing with the fourth line for the Ducks at the beginning of the season. At times his play was exemplary and other times he often saw his ice time drop to below ten minutes a game. He was reunited with Corey Perry and found his scoring touch, picking up consecutive points in consecutive games, while scoring just 4 goals and 13 points in 56 games. In spite of his low offensive output, he traveled with Perry and his wife to Pelican Hill Resort on trade deadline day where he was then informed by his mother that he had been traded to Edmonton.