Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez Bid Farewell to NHL in Emotional Chicago Blackhawks Home Finale
Apr 12, 2025, 06:25 PM ET
CHICAGO — The United Center in Chicago was the stage for a poignant moment in NHL history as Pat Maroon played his first and last NHL game in this iconic arena. In between those two games, Maroon’s career was nothing short of a thrilling ride.
On Saturday night, Maroon concluded his 14th and final season when the Chicago Blackhawks faced a 5-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in a shootout. Joining him in this farewell was defenseman Alec Martinez, who also chose Chicago’s home finale as his last game.
While the Blackhawks still have two road games left on their schedule, both Maroon and Martinez are heading into retirement. “It sucks because this is all we knew,” Maroon reflected. “But I’m so happy that I got to share it with Marty tonight. A guy that’s a big-time player, scored big-time goals. Hell of a hockey player, competitor.”
Both Maroon and Martinez were given the honor of starting in their final games. The Blackhawks paid tribute to Maroon with a highlight video during a first-period timeout, and they did the same for Martinez in the third period.
The crowd responded with a standing ovation after each tribute. An emotional Maroon waved and patted his heart in appreciation, while Martinez also waved and held his stick in the air.
After the game concluded, the Jets stayed on the ice for a handshake line with the three-time Stanley Cup winners. Maroon and Martinez then shared hugs, waved to their families in the cheering crowd, and had one more embrace before leaving the ice. “Every career comes to an end,” Maroon said. “It doesn’t last forever.”
Maroon, a St. Louis native who turns 37 on April 23, signed a $1.3 million, one-year contract with Chicago in free agency last summer. The rugged forward announced last month that he planned to retire after this season, but he waited until Saturday to reveal that the home finale would be his last game.
“He’s been awesome. Such an enjoyable person to be around,” Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard said. “Obviously, his experience in the league … he can teach us a lot of things. But I think just the laughs he brings and energy he brings to the room, he’s just a guy that everyone wants to be around.”
Maroon was selected by Philadelphia in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. He was traded to Anaheim in 2010 and made his NHL debut in the Ducks’ shootout loss at Chicago on Oct. 25, 2011.
Maroon helped his hometown Blues win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 2019. He also won back-to-back championships with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
He became the fourth player in NHL history and first since 1964 to win the Cup three years in a row with two teams. He finishes his career with 126 goals and 197 assists in 848 regular-season games, also playing for Edmonton, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Boston.
“I’ve been fortunate to do what I love for a living for a long time,” Maroon said. “As I look back on my career when this is all done, I’m going to look back on the bad times that I went through in Philly to where it got me to where I’m at today.”
Maroon left open the possibility of working in hockey down the road, but he wasn’t ready to think about that just yet. “As of right now, my focus is family,” he said. “My wife’s due any day now. So we’re going to focus on that, focus on getting back to Tampa, getting settled in and kind of digesting everything and what our next step is.”
The 37-year-old Martinez, who won it all with Los Angeles twice and Vegas once, also joined Chicago in free agency on July 1. He had 88 goals and 201 assists in 862 regular-season contests.
Martinez had one of the biggest moments of his career playing against the Blackhawks. He scored in overtime when Los Angeles eliminated Chicago with a 5-4 victory in Game 7 of the epic 2014 Western Conference final.
- Pat Maroon’s career highlights:
- Three-time Stanley Cup winner
- 126 goals and 197 assists in 848 regular-season games
- Played for Philadelphia, Anaheim, Edmonton, New Jersey, Minnesota, Boston, and Chicago
Originally Written by: ESPN.com
