TAMPA, Fla. — On April 25, 2022, the White House hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning to celebrate their 2021 and 2022 Stanley Cup championships. In an official photo from the event, Pat Maroon is seated to the left of President Joe Biden . Maroon, his high collar unbuttoned and his black tie loosened, wears a white fedora with a black stripe above the brim.
Maroon no longer has the hat. That day, inside the Oval Office, someone else claimed it as their own.
“Biden comes in,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper recalled with a smile. “He walks over to Maroon, grabs his hat, puts it on his head and says, “Boys, you need to get your money together and buy a new hat for this kid. I have this one! »
The Boston Bruins acquired Maroon from the Minnesota Wild on March 8. On January 5, 2017, Maroon scored three goals against his current employer while playing for the Edmonton Oilers.
It seems Maroon’s most famous hat trick didn’t happen on the ice.
Big Bad Bolt
Maroon skates alone while recovering from back surgery. It is unclear when the 35-year-old will play his first match for his new team. According to his former Tampa Bay teammates, it won’t take long for Maroon to make an impression.
“Super energetic,” Erik Cernak said. “He brings emotions into the locker room. He keeps the team moving forward when they lose. He’s a great guy. Good person. Good friend. Even better teammate. On and off the ice, he is simply a great person.
In 2019, the Bruins learned, in the most painful way possible, just how critical Maroon can be in the playoffs. On June 12, they watched Maroon and the St. Louis Blues lift the Stanley Cup at TD Garden.
The Lightning were also watching.
In 2018-19, Tampa Bay became the second team in NHL history to win 62 games. It didn’t mean anything. In the first round, the Lightning went four against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
They were still in shock when they signed Maroon to a one-year contract worth $900,000 on August 24, 2019, desperate for championship bragging rights.
Less than a month later, Maroon delivered it.
During the preseason, Cooper’s initial plan was to play his veterans at home and take the newbies on the road. This has always been his preference.
But Maroon injured his back during training camp. He was late. He did not participate in the first three preseason games.
On September 21, the Lightning were scheduled to face the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Key players such as Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy remained in Tampa. Cooper had no choice but to put Maroon on the road for his preseason debut.
In the second period, Maroon fought Austin Watson. The Predators gave it to Maroon after the fight.
“He walked past their bench, took his glove off and started putting the ring on,” Cooper said, mimicking Maroon’s movement around his own finger. “Everyone on our bench grew an inch when he did that. All of a sudden, we turned things around. We got tougher. It was a big thing for us. He gave us many gifts by doing this.
Timing matters
The Lightning are no longer known as first-round gaggers. They are double champions. Maroon has three rings, putting him on par among active players.
In 2020, during the Lightning’s return to Tampa from Edmonton, Maroon celebrated with a fedora on his head, a cigar in his mouth, beer in his hand and not a shirt in sight. This look gave the Big Rig a new nickname: Florida Man.
Maroon was No. 13 in team playoff scoring (one goal, six points) in 2020. A year later, he was No. 16 (two goals, four points). His former teammates, however, did not measure his playoff performance by points. He made them feel bigger with his presence and lighter with his personality.
“During these playoffs, he goes out there and scores a big hit or a big goal,” Anthony Cirelli said. “He’s a guy who gets guys going. A very good friend of mine. You’ve seen what he does. He has won three in a row. He knows what he’s doing, especially this time of year.
In the Amalie Arena locker room, Maroon sat on Cirelli’s right side. Before games or between periods, Cirelli had an optimal listening point to hear everything Maroon said to the team. Not only was it usually good, it was usually necessary.
“He’s just the guy, I think, who knows what to say. Always on cue,” Cirelli said. “He picks up guys. Just by being around him, he lightens everyone’s mood at different times. He’s a guy you can have a good laugh with.
As for Maroon’s material, Cooper shook his head laughing as he refused to share the content. The race for the 2020 Cup took place in the Edmonton bubble at Rogers Place. With the building empty of fans, Cooper heard every sculpture Maroon handed out. Creativity and color come naturally to Maroon when he gets into the ears of his opponents.
The Bruins will be happy to welcome Maroon’s voice and physique into the mix. Both are necessary. Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Nick Foligno played crucial roles last year when it came to speaking engagements. The Bruins earned a rousing 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, thanks in part to their physical commitment. That wasn’t as much the case the next night in a 3-1 loss to the Lightning.
The Bruins are keeping a spot warm for Maroon on the No. 3 left wing. James van Riemsdyk, who skated with Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic on the third line against the Panthers, had no shots in 9:37 of ice time. The night before, Jakub Lauko, playing on the left wing of the third line, was on the ice for two of Florida’s three five-on-five goals. Maroon should provide Geekie and Frédéric with more beef and confidence.
“He is that dude,” Cooper said. “He’s just super engaging. He’s like a magnet. People are a magnet for him. It gets a team dynamic.
(Top photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today)