For someone who is about to hang up his skates, Chicago Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon appears to have a lot on his plate in the coming weeks.
He’s considering several pursuits once he retires at the end of the season — coaching? broadcasting? — while also getting ready for a baby due April 23, his 37th birthday.
“It’s still fresh, it’s still early, so I’m just taking it day by day, to be honest with you,” Maroon told the Tribune.
“Once everything settles down here and the season’s over, and my new baby is born, get through the summer, (I’ll) just kind of figure out what I really want and navigate that. But I’m going to do some … stuff during the playoffs, hopefully on broadcast, and do all that, and then see if I really take a liking to it and enjoy it.”
Maroon said nothing is confirmed yet with a network, but his representatives have started conversations with potential outlets.
“Still got a lot of progress to work on that, but they for sure reached out, and now it’s just getting my feet wet in that industry and see if I really enjoy it, which I think I will, because it’s more like locker room talk, and it’s more banter and more of that feel of talking about the game,” he said.
“I love talking hockey, and I watch a ton of hockey. So it’s something that I’ll probably really like.”
Maroon’s fellow Hawks paint him as unvarnished off the ice as he is on it: He’ll throw a punch during a game and pull no punches with teammates afterward.
“I’ll miss seeing his face — as much as I hated it throughout my whole career,” forward Nick Foligno said. “But that’s usually the sign of a great player and a guy that’s made an impact, right?
“He’s a guy that you knew when he was on the ice.”
Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said, “He’s a calming influence on a lot of the younger guys but he can lighten up the room a bit for sure. But he also knows when it’s time to be serious.”
Those aspects, as well as his 14-year hard-nosed reputation that earned him the nickname “Big Rig,” will translate to the bench or the camera, whichever avenue Maroon pursues, defenseman Connor Murphy said.
After playing with eight teams and winning three Stanley Cups, Maroon is “just known so much around the league, his role is so for the team,” Murphy said. “Like fighting and playing like limited minutes, where it’s not fun sometimes, but sacrificing yourself for the greater good of the team.”
Asked how Maroon might handle being a broadcaster, Murphy said, “It’s hard to be fast-paced and be good at the words and vocal. He’s really personable, and I feel like he holds conversation well with anyone.
“You see him, he always hits the nail on his head with his interviews, with how he’s trying to portray his thoughts. So I think that that speaks to his comfort level, and hopefully he can do well with it. I think his personality suits it.”
Forward Ryan Donato said Maroon is “infectious” and dedicated to hockey, so if he seeks a coaching role, Donato’s on board.
“His personality is awesome, and I could definitely see him being a coach,” he said.
Maroon said he has loved coaching his son Anthony’s team in the past or just attending his games.
“I get on the ice with them, so I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I really enjoyed working with them and watching their progress throughout the season and helping them out. …
“If I did coach, it would probably be in the NHL, but I’ve got to figure out what I want to do, if I want to get back right into this lifestyle and jump right back into it.”
He’s also interested in player development or a role of some kind to get his feet wet in personnel.
“But the door’s open for me, and there’s going to be a lot of doors open, I feel like, and hopefully, just got to figure out what I really want to do,” he said.
The only role that’s assured is becoming a dad again.
“Yeah, me and Marty (Alec Martinez),” Maroon said. “He’s a day before.”
Maroon doesn’t know if Anthony and Goldie will have a baby brother or sister when wife Francesca is set to give birth in a month.
The question is where. Maroon, a St. Louis native, has a home in Tampa, where he won Cups in 2020 and ’21 with the Lightning
“I’m just going to wait until Tampa is out of the playoffs because my house is being rented by a player,” he said. “But I think we’re going to end up going back there after the baby’s born and finding a little place until (then). …
“I have a lot of good friends over there. I hope they win, but it’d be nice to get in my house.”
