Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Maroon will play the final game of his NHL career when the Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets at United Center on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CHSN, NHLN, SNW, CITY).
“It certainly kind of sank in last night,” Maroon said. “You sit there and think about it a lot, the good times, the bad times, the adversity you go through, emotions you go through, the ups and downs with the players, the guys.
“Think the thing I’m thinking about the most is going to dinner with the guys. That’s something I’ll be missing a lot but yeah, this is my last and I’m going to cherish every moment.”
The 36-year-old forward announced that this would be his final NHL season on March 22 prior to the Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to his hometown St. Louis Blues.
A sixth-round pick (No. 161) for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2007 NHL Draft, Maroon has 323 points (126 goals, 197 assists) in 847 regular-season games with the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins and Blackhawks. He won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019 and the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
“Lots of family and friends are coming into town to be part of this special night,” Maroon said. “Hopefully we win the game and make it that much more special. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Chicago, which has been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention, has a two-game road trip to end the regular season following its game Saturday. — Tracey Myers, staff writer
