Pat Maroon may have an awkward reunion in Boston.
The winger was traded to the Bruins on Friday ahead of the NHL’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, sending forward Luke Toporowski and a conditional sixth-round draft pick back to Minnesota.
Maroon had a checkered career in Boston after playing a key role in the St. Louis Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup victory, including the final seven games against the Bruins.
He further angered Boston hockey fans by signing with the Lightning the following season and helping Tampa Bay defeat the Bruins in the second round of the 2020 playoffs and win their second straight Cup.
He added a third title with the Volts in 2021.
When the Lightning played the Bruins in Boston on Nov. 29, NESN play-by-play man Jack Edwards stabbed Maroon during the game, taking a shot at the 6-foot-3, 230-plus pound man.
“It was the first day of training camp,” he said on air. “I feel like he’s eaten a few more pizzas between then and now. [Intermittent] For Pat Maroon, fasting is about four hours without food. But hey, who can officially argue with him for three cups in a row?”
Instead of hearing Edwards’ apology, Maroon donated $2,000 to the Lightning Foundation in Edwards’ name.
According to the Boston Globe, Edwards met Maroon face-to-face during the Bruins’ trip to Tampa in January, and during a tense Lightning locker room scene, Maroon sarcastically asked Edwards if he wanted to get on the scale. There were also occasions when he said.
“He let his emotions flow off his chest, and I listened to all of it,” Edwards told The Athletic. “I had no intention of walking away. I let him go as long as possible. I wanted him to know that I respected him as much as any other NHL player for staying this long.” All the players who played in the NHL were unbelievable athletes and I made that clear.”
It remains to be seen whether further amendments are needed between the two sides, but it will likely take several months to figure that out.
The Bruins, currently second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-13-15 (89 points), will have to wait until Maroon recovers from back surgery in February before making his debut.
The 35-year-old was traded to Minnesota in July and has four goals and 12 assists in 49 games with the Wild this season.
