Maroon Eager to Join ‘Other Side’ with Black & Gold

BOSTON – Pat Maroon knows that before Friday he didn’t have many friends in Boston.

That changed quickly, however, once it was announced that the hulking winger was the newest member of the Black & Gold, acquired by the Bruins from Minnesota in a pre-deadline deal that sent a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick and Providence winger Luke Toporwoski to the Wild.

“I feel like I’m hated here,” Maroon said with a smirk as he met with the Boston media for the first time on Saturday afternoon before Boston’s 5-1 win over the Penguins TD Garden.

Maroon has battled the Bruins for years, including two playoff series – the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with St. Louis and the 2020 second round with Tampa.

“But no, I’m super excited,” Maroon, now in his 13^th NHL season, continued. “Original Six team, a great opportunity. I heard nothing but good things about the locker room and a great opportunity for us to go achieve our goals and accomplish it, right? Another chance to play in the playoffs and have a great run here.

“I think once I see everyone, it’s going to be fun. Obviously, there’s been a lot of chirps and a lot of fighting in the past with these guys, so it’s going to be good to be on the other side with these guys now. So, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Maroon also offered his appreciation to Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, as well as Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin for giving him the opportunity to join a playoff contender.

“Me and Billy talked, asked me what I wanted to do,” said Maroon. “He has plans, too, for his team and he asked me if I wanted to go to a contender. So kudos to him for coming up to me and asking me if you want to go try to win another Stanley Cup – and why not, you know?

“That's the ultimate goal when you leave this game is to win and put a stamp on your career. He gave me that opportunity and he worked hard for me to give me a chance to go on a nice playoff run here.”

“[Coyle] was awesome enough to have my son come out with him and skate with him,” said Maroon. “I know Freddy, skated with Freddy – obviously I’m from St. Louis and Freddy is from St. Louis, so we got the opportunity to come up here and skate here and work with our skills coach.

“I already met a handful of guys, so I know some guys in our locker [room] that I’ve played with in the past, too, so it’s probably going to be an easy transition. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Maroon also has a previous rapport with coach Jim Montgomery, who likewise has deep St. Louis roots, dating back to the early 1990s when he started his NHL career with the Blues, and assistant Chris Kelly, who went to training camp with the Oilers on a PTO prior to the 2017-18 season.

“I know Monty really well, so I’m really excited to join him and the coaching staff,” said Maroon. “I went to camp with Kells, so it’s going to be fun. Familiar faces in that locker room, so I feel like it’s going to be a really easy transition for me.”

The 6-foot-3, 234-pounder said “it gives me chills thinking about” pulling the Spoked-B over his head.

“I’m really looking forward to this,” said Maroon. “It’ll be great just to put the jersey [on] and go out there. I know these fans are very passionate about this team. 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 I feel like it was meant to be.”

Maroon has missed more than a month after undergoing back surgery but has resumed skating.

“Just going to talk to medical staff, see where that goes,” said Maroon. “But right now, there’s no real time frame right now. All I can give you is I’m skating a little bit.”

Peeke On Board Too

Like Maroon, newly acquired Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke has his own ties to the organization. The blue liner also knows Frederic, as well as Jeremy Swayman from their time with Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

Peeke said former Bruins centerman Sean Kuraly, with whom he played the last three seasons in Columbus, also had high praise for the organization and city.

“Sean Kuraly was here, and he was with me in Columbus, so a lot of mutuals through him. A couple of the guys on the Bruins called me [Friday] and we chatted for a little bit, so it was nice getting welcomed by them,” said Peeke.

“I've heard about Boston for the past three years from Sean, he told me everything. It’s an unbelievable spot. The organization speaks for itself with the amount of playoff runs that this place has gone through in the past years, and everyone says that the guys in the locker room are unbelievable…and that's what I'm most excited about.”

As a sports fan, the 25-year-old Florida native is also well aware of how much Boston cares for its teams.

“I can't wait. Growing up, I've always heard about Boston sports and the pride that this city has for their sports teams and watching Patriots dynasties or the Bruins winning the Cup,” said Peeke. “t's second to none in terms of the fans here, so I'm super excited.”

Peeke, who spent the first five seasons of his pro career with the Blue Jackets, is also eager for a fresh start. After playing 162 of a possible 164 games in 2021-22 and 2022-23, the defenseman has played just 23 games (goal, seven assists) this season.

"I think with how the year had gone, the biggest thing for me is I just wanted to play hockey. Obviously, the past two years, I've played pretty much every game. And not that you get comfortable, but you get in a routine of doing that,” said Peeke.

“Finding out the news [on Friday] that I was coming to a place like Boston, and being able to compete for the playoffs, that’s all you can ask for as a player and something I haven’t had yet. I’m super thrilled about that.”

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound blue liner added that he’s “pumped” to join the Black & Gold and “reset” a bit after a tough run in Columbus, an experience he hopes he can learn from.

“There are some tough days. A lot of adversity,” said Peeke. “But I think looking back at it now and, obviously, being where I am today, you can only look back at it, make a positive out of it, helping you grow as a person, as a hockey player.

“I think for me, it just helped me understand a lot of things in terms of what I got to do on a nightly basis. And that's what I'm most excited about.”

Peeke said his game is focused on being stout defensively and using his size to play a physical brand of hockey.

“I think a big-body defenseman, likes to play physical, work hard in the corners, battle, win those, and use my feet and move the puck up the ice,” said Peeke. “Defending has always been one of my stronger suits as a player and that's something I've taken pride in since coming to the NHL level is being a really good defenseman.”

Ullmark Relieved

Following his 38-save performance on Saturday against Pittsburgh, Linus Ullmark admitted he was happy the trade deadline was done and over with.

The center of a bevy of rumors over the course of the last several weeks, the netminder said that it had become hard to keep focused.

“Thank God [it’s over], yes,” said Ullmark. “But no, it's tough. I mean, you try to act tough beforehand. You don't want to show anything or want to show any emotion. It's kind of like in a playoff situation as well. But it is tough on players. And this is the first time when I have to go through actually being rumored about.

“I've always felt safe…but then once he actually starts picking up more and more and more you have to hear those outside noises, it takes a toll on you. And then there's the emotional part of it.

“And then you start thinking about your family and then there's all these questions that you don't have any answers to. So yes, I am very happy that it's always very glad and happy to be here.”

Ullmark looked plenty focused on Saturday afternoon, however, as he helped pace the Bruins to a 5-1 win over the Penguins at TD Garden.

"He was our best player,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “Wasn't close. He was really good. Glad he's still a Bruin."

And so is Ullmark.

“I’m just very happy to be here,” said Ullmark. “This is the team that I want to be in. I'm very fortunate to be a part of this group. And you know ever since day one, I loved it here. So I'm very happy with where I am right now.”

The victory snapped a six-game losing skid for the netminder, who had gone 0-1-5 since Feb. 13.

“It was nice to finally get one after a month’s hard work,” said Ullmark. ““I think I proved what kind of a goaltender I could be last year, definitely. So, with that in mind, there's been some ups and downs, obviously, during the season…I don't think that I've personally played bad with all the outside noise, which I've been very proud of myself to keep battling through and performing.”

After the win, Ullmark was clearly emotional as he embraced Swayman for their patented postgame hug.

“There's no easy games, but there’s going to be some games you're going to take with you a little bit longer,” said Ullmark. “And you're going to keep it a little bit in the memory bank, and you can pull it out from time to time.

“Same thing there. I got emotional as well and Sway said all these nice words to me, and I would’ve done the same for him if he was in my shoes. It’s tough to talk about, but I’m just so gosh darn happy.”

Ullmark said the support from his teammates – current and former – helped him through a difficult stretch.

“I had a good conversation with [former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron] the other day as well, so that really helped me as well,” said Ullmark. “And [Charlie McAvoy] reached out to me [Friday] as well with a very thought out text that really hit home and just kind of showed us what kind of a group and what kind of people there are in this team. I was very happy and emotional after I read it.”

Wait, There’s More

• With a goal in Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh, David Pastrnak hit the 40-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, tying Cam Neely for the third-most such seasons in Bruins history. "I won't take it for granted, obviously,” he said. “It's my job to score goals, but at the same time, you're playing in the best league in the world...definitely love scoring so it makes me happy."
• Lindholm returned to the lineup from a lower-body injury on Saturday afternoon and picked up a pair of assists in his first game since Feb. 19. The first helper of the day was his 300^th career point. “You could tell that he had a lot more jump than the rest of our players and also excited to be back. I thought he was just simple, but really effective, especially offensively,” said Montgomery. “It's another layer right of a dynamic player in our lineup.”