The St. Louis Blues are fighting hard to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs and they took care of business Saturday afternoon as they registered a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. While the win helped the Blues climb into eighth place and the final spot in the Western Conference playoff structure, the victory was not the main story. Former Blue and St. Louis native Patrick Maroon announced that he would be retiring from the NHL once his season with the Blackhawks has been completed.

The Blackhawks are far out of playoff position and that means that Maroon will be retiring after they conclude their season with an April 15 road game against the Ottawa Senators. The Blues honored one of their former leaders by naming him the “first star of the game.”

Maroon made the announcement in an interview he did with Chicago Blackhawks analyst Darren Pang. The burly winger let Pang know he had given everything he had to the sport, and he would continue to do so in the team's remaining games.

“We all know the circumstances,” Maroon said. “I laid it all out there every night and I did it the right way and I tried to be an honest player. I accomplished everything in my career that I never thought possible. Sometime you have to give up everything you wanted. I know it's time for me and my family to start a new chapter.

“I won a Stanley Cup here (in St. Louis) and I am going to play every game the rest of the season as hard as I can. I'm going to do everything I can to keep playing winning hockey.”

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Maroon was a favorite in St. Louis during Blues Stanley Cup run

Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Maroon (77) salutes the fans after he was named first star of game in his final game against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Maroon has played with eight teams in his NHL career, and he was a key member of the Blues in 2018-19. The Blues won their only Stanley Cup at the conclusion of the season.

The team had struggled badly in the first half of the season, but after Craig Berube was named the team's head coach and Jordan Binnington became the team's primary goaltender, the Blues surged. Maroon was a not a dominant scorer, but “The Big Rig” was a major factor on the ice with his physical presence and in the locker room.

The Blues got hot in the playoffs and beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals and the Boston Bruins in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup.

Maroon would move on to the Tampa Bay Lightning and win two more Stanley Cups with that team the following two seasons.