Maroon more disappointed for Lightning teammates than own lost Cup chance

TAMPA -- Pat Maroon came up short in his attempt to win the Stanley Cup for the fourth straight season.

But after the Tampa Bay Lightning lost 2-1 to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday, he was thinking more about the heartbreak some of his teammates, including Corey Perry, were experiencing.
"I honestly feel bad for Pierre-Edouard] Bellemare, [Riley] Nash, [Nicholas] Paul, [Brandon] Hagel, [Brian] Elliott ... 'Perrs,'" Maroon said. "We owe them one and hopefully we'll be back next year and have a better feeling than this."
Maroon said what made this loss in the Cup Final so tough was what the Lightning went through to get there.
"This one stings because of what our guys battled through every single day," he said. "The injuries ... and some people counted us out of being here. This one stings the most."
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Maroon had won the Cup the past two seasons with the Lightning, and won it in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues. He was trying to join Ed Litzenberger (1961 Chicago Black Hawks, 1962-1964 Toronto Maple Leafs), Ab McDonald (1958-1960 Montreal Canadiens, 1961 Black Hawks) and Eddie Gerard (1920-21 Ottawa Senators, 1922 Toronto St. Patricks, 1923 Senators) as the only NHL players to win the Stanley Cup at least four consecutive seasons with multiple teams.
"We didn't expect to be in this position and shake hands tonight," Maroon said. "They're a good team over there. I give them credit for what they've been through. They have been through a lot of adversity and downfalls."
But it was the toughness and championship mettle that kept Maroon and the Lightning battling through what arguably was their toughest postseason run as a group, one that saw them extend their playoff winning streak to 11 straight series victories.

"When the injury report comes out you guys are going to be shocked," Maroon said. "We're warriors. I'm just so proud of these guys for what we put ourselves through in the last three years. But with this group, no one really believed in us. We made a run and we fell short tonight."
The 34-year-old said he still has more hockey left in him. He signed a two-year, $2 million contract ($1 million average annual value) on Feb. 8 that will keep him with the Lightning through the 2023-24 season.
If Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos has his way, Maroon and the rest of the Lightning aren't finished winning yet.
"Who says we're done?" Stamkos said. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We've been to four finals in eight years or whatever it is."