Patrick Maroon

Patrick Maroon (born April 23, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Nicknamed the "Big Rig", Maroon has previously played for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Minnesota Wild.

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 passes 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, Oakville Middle School, and Oakville High School.

As a youth, Maroon also competed in the 2002 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Blues minor ice hockey team.

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, 6ft 1in and 260 lb. In order to improve on his playmaking ability, Maroon would stickhandle a golf ball in his garage for hours and skate in roller rinks.

In 2004, Maroon was drafted in the 11th round of the 2004 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) 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.

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 (AHL) 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 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.

By the time he reached senior year, Maroon led the team to the 2006 Missouri State Championship.

While playing high school hockey, Maroon caught the attention of Kelly Chase and Al MacInnis who had recently purchased a North American Hockey League (NAHL) 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.

Following two standout seasons with the Texarkana Bandits, he was drafted 161st overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

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.

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 in 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.

Maroon is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, winning in three consecutive seasons (with the Blues in 2019, and the Lightning in 2020 and 2021).

Growing up in St. Louis, Maroon attended Oakville High School where he was recruited to play in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) by Kelly Chase and Al MacInnis.