In the final hours of the NHL Trade Deadline, the Boston Bruins acquired veteran and three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild. In the exchange, general manager Don Sweeney dealt away Luke Toporowski and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
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The Bruins will be the Maroon’s seventh NHL team after stops with the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, and Wild. The left winger is listed as week-to-week after undergoing back surgery on Feb. 6. In 49 games with Minnesota this season, he had 16 points.
Maroon is no stranger to the Bruins, winning the Stanley Cup at TD Garden in 2019. Additionally, the incident with play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards in 2022 led to the organization’s newest member stating that he believes the fanbase hates him in his first media availability session on Saturday.
Despite what has happened in the past, Maroon joined Boston to help them win their first Stanley Cup since 2011. As the skater with the most championship experience in the room, he should be a welcome addition to a team that needs to develop its killer instinct further. So, who is Maroon, and what are some interesting things about him?
First Player Since 1984 to Win Three Consecutive Stanley Cups
The New York Islanders are the last true dynasty in the NHL, winning four consecutive Stanley Cup titles from 1980 to 1984. Many of the players on those teams won together, including Hall of Famers Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, and Billy Smith. Since 1984, only three franchises have won back-to-back titles: the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991, 1992, 2016, 2015), Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998), and Tampa Bay Lightning (2020, 2021).
Before winning two titles with the Lightning, Maroon was a member of his hometown Blues, who won the 2019 Stanley Cup in TD Garden by defeating the Bruins in Game 7. After the celebration, he signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent and eventually became the first player since the Islanders’ dynasty to win three straight championships.
Only Career Hat Trick Came Against the Bruins
In 778 NHL games, Maroon has scored 121 goals with 183 assists for 304 points. He’s netted 19 powerplay goals, 18 game-winners, and two empty net goals. Thus far, his best season came in 2016-17 when he netted a career-high 27 goals in 81 games, including scoring his only hat trick on Jan. 5, 2017, against the Bruins at TD Garden. In the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-3 win, Maroon had a goal each period on Tuukka Rask.
AHL Points-Per-Game Average was .787
According to statistics from TheAHL.com, Maroon played 353 games in the AHL from 2007 to 2013, playing for the Norfolk Admirals, Syracuse Crunch, Adirondack Phantoms, and Philadelphia Phantoms. During his time in the minors, he scored 118 goals and added 160 helpers for 278 points, giving him a points-per-game average of .787. Comparatively, he only recently passed his AHL totals in the NHL (121-183-304), where his points-per-game average is .397.
Won a Gold Medal at the InLine Hockey World Championships
Maroon began playing elite-level hockey in the North American Hockey League, going undrafted in 2006. The Flyers then selected him in the sixth round (161st overall) at the 2007 draft, sending him to the Ontario Hockey League to play with the London Kings, where he was team MVP in 2008.
At the start of the 2008-09 season, Maroon earned a full-time role with the (Philadelphia) Phantoms in the American Hockey League. He played in the minors for two seasons before heading to Sweden to participate in the 2010 IIHF InLine Hockey World Championship. In the tournament, he scored seven goals and 14 points to help the United States win the Gold Medal over the Czech Republic.
Led the NHL in Penalty Minutes in 2022-23
During Maroon’s first full season (2013-14) in the NHL, he earned 101 penalty minutes in 62 games as a member of the Ducks. Although he collected 533 minutes worth of infractions over the next five years, he never crossed the 100-minute threshold again until 2021-22, when he had a career-high 134 penalty minutes. However, Maroon set a new personal record with 150 penalty minutes in 2022-23 to lead the NHL. In 80 games, he was whistled for an infraction in 26 games, including 15 games where he received at least five minutes or more in penalties.
Scored Most Goals Against Martin Jones and Tuukka Rask
Maroon scored 121 NHL goals against 70 goalies, including Pekka Rinne, whom he beat for his first goal on Feb. 26, 2013. Overall, he has scored at least two more goals on 19 goalies, including Martin Jones and Rask, who have surrendered seven goals a piece to the player known as the “Big Rig.”
Shares Same Draft Class with James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Shattenkirk
When Maroon arrived at TD Garden after the trade deadline, he saw a familiar face in new but old teammate Kevin Shattenkirk. Together, the duo were members of the 2019 Blues team that defeated the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. However, the pair are also from the same draft class, with Shattenkirk going 14th overall to the Colorado Avalanche. Moreover, the 2007 class also featured teammate James van Riemsdyk, the second-overall pick for the Flyers. Since their draft year, the three newest members of the Bruins have combined to skate in 2,726 games and collect 1,412 points.
Further Perspective
Maroon is playing out the final season of a two-year deal he signed with the Lightning for $2 million on Feb. 8, 2022. Although his future is yet to be determined, his cap hit is relatively low—$800,000—meaning if he’s a good fit in the Bruins’ dressing room, there would be space for him to re-sign in the offseason. Given his experience, Maroon is a low-risk, high-reward acquisition who could have a pivotal role in the Bruins recapturing the Stanley Cup in June.