“[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.”