Is Pat Maroon retiring? 3x Stanley Cup champ makes big admission on NHL future

It looks as though the playing career of a longtime NHL forward known for his timely goal scoring and gritty play on the ice is coming to a close.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon, who signed with the club last offseason, announced before today's game against his former St. Louis Blues teammates that he intended to retire once the 2024-25 NHL season comes to a close.

He announced the decision while conducting an interview with analyst Darren Pang during pre-game warmups at Enterprise Center.

"It's tough." Maroon said. "Sometimes you've got to give up everything you know and everything you've dreamed of your whole life. I just know it's time for me and it's time for my family to go start a new chapter in our lives."

Maroon was preparing for his final game in St. Louis, where he is originally from and where he played for one lone season, culminating in a Stanley Cup win.

"It's hard to go through things like this, you can't really process it," he said, "but I think it's best for me and my family to go start a new chapter. To get to have a special moment tonight and be in St. Louis, to have my family come to town. I won a Stanley Cup here and I'm just going to finish this year as every game is going to be my last game. I'm going to play as hard as I can and do everything I can to keep winning hockey (games). It's all I know - it's tough."

The Blackhawks will not be in the playoffs, as they have the 2nd-worst record in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for Maroon, he won't have one last shot at winning the Stanley Cup. While he was floated as a possibility to be moved at the NHL Trade Deadline, Blackhawks management ultimately decided not to trade him.

Pat Maroon is a three-time Stanley Cup champion

Pat Maroon was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007, but never played for the franchise. He was traded in 2010 to the Anaheim Ducks, with whom he would begin his NHL career.

He played several seasons with the Ducks, helping them reach the 2015 Western Conference Final.

In February 2016, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers during Connor McDavid's rookie season. The following season, he scored a career-high 27 goals in 2016-17, playing a key role in helping the Oilers secure a postseason berth. However, they were eventually knocked out by Maroon's former team, the Ducks.

Later briefly playing for the New Jersey Devils, Maroon would sign a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues in 2018, his hometown club. He helped them win the Stanley Cup that season, the first in Blues history.

Maroon then joined the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he won back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and came within two victories of a third.

He's since played for the Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins before joining the Blackhawks in the 2024 offseason.