Pat Maroon looking to change his ‘hated’ reputation with Boston Bruins
"He's a great guy off the ice. Never enjoyed him on the ice."
Pat Maroon might don a black-and-gold sweater in a few weeks, but the bruising winger was candid when asked Saturday about joining the Bruins for a postseason push.
“I feel like I’m hated here,” Maroon said with a grin on Saturday afternoon.
Maroon’s assessment might be accurate in most NHL markets, given the 6-foot-3, 234-pound veteran’s propensity for doling out bone-crunching hits and pestering opponents before and after the whistle.
But Boston knows all too well about Maroon and the brand of hockey that he excels in — especially come the postseason.
Maroon boasts three Stanley Cup titles on his resume, hoisting hockey’s top prize three seasons in a row from 2019-21.
The first time he lifted the elusive trophy was on the TD Garden ice on June 12, 2019 — just moments after the St. Louis Blues defeated the Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“I would say the first 15 minutes of that Game 7, they had us on [our] heels,” Maroon recalled of that seven-game slugfest between Boston and St. Louis. “But it’s a game of adversity and things that change in time and you get a tip-in and we get that late goal in the [first] to build that lead. But I think they had all the momentum going into Game 7.
“They had us on our heels. Jordan Binnington stepped up. I think they were both good teams and sometimes you need puck luck and good goaltending to win.”
It was a crushing result for a Bruins roster desperately trying to get over the hump — with Maroon and the Tampa Bay Lightning beating Boston again in the 2020 Eastern Conference Semifinal in what stood as Zdeno Chara’s final season with the club.
With 150 playoff games under his belt, Maroon is the type of asset that contenders tend to covet around this time on the NHL calendar. That winning pedigree was one of the primary reasons why Boston dealt for him hours ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
And after years of making Bruins fans miserable, Maroon will look to flip the script this spring with his latest team.
“I think once I see everyone, it’s gonna be fun,” Maroon said of joining Boston’s dressing room. “And obviously, there’s been a lot of chirps and a lot of fighting in the past with these guys.
“So it’s gonna be good to be on the other side with these guys now. … Heard nothing but good things about the locker room and a great opportunity for us to achieve our goals and accomplish it, right? So another chance to play in the playoffs and have a great run here.”
The Bruins have been on the prowl for a physical deterrent and pugnacious tone-setter on their checking unit, especially with Milan Lucic no longer in the picture. Maroon fits that bill, logging 344 total penalty minutes over the last three seasons. He also can chip in offensively — scoring four goals and posting 16 total points over 49 games in Minnesota.
The current Bruins roster might already be anchored by established veterans like Brad Marchand. But having a three-time Cup winner on the bench can go a long way during the gauntlet that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“I’ve met him numerous times over the past few years,” Marchand said of Maroon after Boston’s 5-1 win over the Penguins. “He’s a great guy off the ice. Never enjoyed him on the ice. But a guy we’re really looking forward to having on our group and [he] brings a lot of energy and emotion in the room and on the bench and on the ice. So happy to have him here.”
The Bruins will have to wait at least a few more weeks before Maroon is given the green light to topple skaters on the ice.
The 35-year-old power forward underwent back surgery in early February, with a four to six-week recovery prescribed. Maroon didn’t have a set timeframe when speaking to reporters on Saturday, but added that he has resumed skating.
But even with some of the on-ice hostilities brewed up over the years between Maroon and Boston, the veteran is looking forward to finally putting on a Bruins sweater — a color scheme that he’s already familiar with.
“It gives me chills thinking about it,” Maroon said of wearing the spoked-B. “I’m really looking forward to it. Just to put that jersey over and go out there. I know, these fans are very passionate, they know their sports teams.
“So just really looking forward to putting that jersey on and going out there and playing and working for the guys. My old high school team is the Bruins colors, so feel like it was meant to be. “
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