Maroon talks Lightning, Stadium Series, retirement in Q&A

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week we feature Patrick Maroon, a three-time Stanley Cup champion now working in different roles in retirement.

Patrick Maroon played for the Tampa Bay Lightning the first time they appeared outdoors. When they defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 in the Stadium Series on Feb. 26, 2022, they had about 25,000 fans among the 68,619 at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.

That's one reason he can't wait for Sunday. The Lightning will host an outdoor game for the first time when they face the Boston Bruins in the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

"I'm excited to see these Boston fans come in and be like, 'Wow, Tampa is a hockey town,'" he said. "I say it all the time: I think it's more of a hockey town than a football town."

Maroon retired after last season, finishing with 323 points (126 goals, 197 assists) in 848 games for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Lightning, Minnesota Wild, Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks from 2011-25. He won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019, and Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021. He also played outdoors for the Ducks in 2014, the Oilers in 2016 and the Blackhawks last season.

The 37-year-old will still be in the middle of the action this weekend.

He'll be the grand marshal for the 2026 Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest on Saturday, leading a parade down Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa as the beloved annual event intertwines with the outdoor game. He'll also appear on NHL Network on Saturday and Sunday before watching an outdoor game as a spectator for the first time.

He spoke to NHL.com about outdoor games, life in retirement and the Lightning.

You played outdoors in very different venues -- Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Nissan Stadium in Nashville and Wrigley Field in Chicago. Other than winning the Cup, where do those memories rank?

"They're up there. Probably top five. As players, we get up for these events. You're playing in front of 60,000 fans, and they really do put on a great show. My first one was Dodger Stadium. I never thought I would play a hockey game in Dodger Stadium.

"It's exciting. I know there's two points on the line any time you play these outdoor games, but it's just the whole experience and being a part of it, how special it is, playing outside. Usually they're in cold weather, but I've had the opportunity to play in Dodger Stadium, Nashville, Chicago and the Heritage Classic, so a lot of different feels. I was lucky enough to play in some great places with a lot of history."

It was 62 degrees Fahrenheit at face-off when you played in L.A., but the high in Tampa on Sunday is 47, so it could be colder than when you played in Winnipeg, where it was 50. Can you believe this is happening in Tampa?

"I'm looking forward to watching a great game. I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans interact and doing everything outside the stadium. I'm just looking forward to watching everyone's reaction, for that natural response of like, 'Man, this is the best day ever.'

"That's what the experience is supposed to be about. Is it going to be hard to see? Yeah, they're going to look like minions out there, but it's all about the experience and being a part of it.

"I know the Florida Panthers just [hosted the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic at loanDepot park in Miami on Jan. 2], and now Tampa. Who would have thought in 2026 the NHL would have brought an outdoor game to Miami and Tampa? Really cool experience for the fan base and for Boston fans to come down and experience the whole deal.

"I know Boston has played in [five] of them, but this is one of probably many for Tampa Bay. I think they'll get another one."

You could pass for Blackbeard. Are you going to wear a pirate costume for the parade?

"I am not, no. [Laughs.] I'm grand marshal, but I've never been to a Gasparilla before. This is my first time ever. Usually, we're out of town, or we're playing that day. Really looking forward to it. Looking forward to representing the organization. It's a big party, essentially. It's like Mardi Gras."

You played in the Winter Classic less than 13 months ago. What do you miss about playing in the NHL? What's it been like to transition to retirement?

"The one thing I do miss is just the locker room. We all talk about it -- the locker room, the guys, the going out there every single day, putting your skates on, competing with the guys, going to war with them, going through the highs and lows. That's what it's all about.

"That's one thing I do miss, and that's where I've kind of lost myself a bit -- just, like, finding a new identity, right? I think that's what's hard for hockey players. When you leave the game, it's finding another identity for yourself that's going to bring joy to you."

You've been helping as an assistant with Muskegon of the United States Hockey League, where Anthony Thomas-Maroon, your son, is a 17-year-old forward. How has that brought joy?

"I love it. I love just watching Anthony as a dad first. I think it's been really fun for me to be able to spend time with him. I try to go up there for a week at a time and hang out with him and grab dinners and just kind of catch up. I've never had that time before.

"To me, it's like, I have the opportunity to kind of dive in deep a little more and hang out with him more and get to watch his hockey more and watch him grow as a young man and develop into a hockey player, so it's been a lot of fun to have an up-close view on that. I'm really liking it a lot."

Do you want to become a coach?

"Yeah, I do, actually. I think that's what I want to do. I think that's where my mindset is right now. I'm trying to get back in the game as much as possible, if it's player development, if it's coaching, if it's something where I'm still part of a team, I'm with the guys, trying to help out as much as possible. If it's on the ice, off the ice, I'm trying to just be a part of something again.

"At the end of the day, I've won three Stanley Cups, but I want to win another Stanley Cup, and the only way I can do that is to get back in the game. You have to dive back in. I might have to work my way up again, but I'm always up for the challenge. My career was a really unique path, and my back's always been against the wall, and no one's really believed in me. I always believed in myself. I'm willing to take on that challenge again."

You've also been working as a brand ambassador for Tampa Bay and as a radio/TV analyst for the Lightning and NHL Network. What's it like to talk about guys you've played with and against? How do you view the game as a member of the media?

"It's different. You've got to watch what you say, because some of those guys you're talking about are some of your closest friends, so you've just got to make sure you're saying the right things. But I think they'd understand too at the same time, if they had a bad play or a bad game, they know they're going to be talked about, and I just try to keep it between the lines.

"I don't try to say anything out of the ordinary or try to talk negatively. I was a player once before, and unfortunately, you're going to go through stretches where you're really good, and you're going to go through stretches where you're not so good. I've been through it, so I know how to navigate what to say and try not to stir it the wrong way, I guess."

What's your take on the Lightning, who are fighting for first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference despite tons of injuries?

"To me, they're the best team in the East as of now. I think they have a great core group of guys. They have a bunch of young kids coming in and fitting right in who have been excellent this year. The way they were able to respond with all these injuries that have been going on throughout the year, the way they continue to weather the storm, it just seems like it doesn't faze them. It's the next-man-up mentality.

"And to me, that just shows you what kind of culture they have in that locker room. It's all about team-first mentality. Whoever we call up, we're going to make him as comfortable as possible, make him feel part of the team right away, and that's just going to relate to the ice. You've got to give credit to [coach] Jon Cooper. He's been like that his whole career. The guys respond to that stuff.

"You've got to give credit to the guys who have been entered into the lineup. [Pontus] Holmberg comes over [in free agency]. His line's played great with [Yanni] Gourde and [Zemgus] Girgensons. Dominic James has been awesome. Darren Raddysh is flourishing right now. [J.J.] Moser's the player that we all expected him to be. [Charle-Edouard] D'Astous is 27 years old, a rookie that just looks like he's a five-year vet back there.

"And then you've got all the young guys that keep coming up. [Max] Crozier on the back end and [Declan] Carlile. So, it's been a lot of fun watching this group, and [Conor] Geekie kind of comes up and down, and [Scott] Sabourin and [Curtis] Douglas. It's been a great team to watch, a lot of fun. They've found their identity, and they've been playing to their strengths with it.

"Look, for a team that has been without a lot of their players most of the year, not enough people are talking about them."