Maroon gets emotional after final game in St. Louis

Pat Maroon has played in his hometown arena many times, but on Saturday when he visited St. Louis with the Chicago Blackhawks, it was a lot more emotional than usual.

In a pregame interview with TV analyst Darren Pang, Maroon suggested that it would likely be his final game in St. Louis.

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

"To get to have a special moment tonight, be in St. Louis and to have my family come into town - I won a Stanley Cup here and I'm just going to finish this year and every game is going to be (like) 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."

During Saturday's game, the Blues played a tribute on the scoreboard during the second period - giving fans a chance to salute their hometown hero one more time. Maroon, not surprisingly, got emotional.

He was also named the game's first star.

In 2019, Maroon scored a double-overtime game-winner in a second-round Game 7 against Dallas, helping the Blues to the Western Conference Final for the first time in 15 years. That season, Maroon recorded seven points in 26 playoff games, powering the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Maroon would also go on to win two more championships (2020, 2021) with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Maroon will likely end his career in Chicago with more than 800 career games played.

Oakville, and the rest of the St. Louis, couldn't be more proud.