Pat Maroon couldn't resist celebrating on social media before Stanley Cup was even presented
Despite what Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty famously chirped during the 2014 Stadium Series, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon is a pretty good hockey player.
After the Lightning completed their 1-0 victory over the Canadiens in Game 5 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final in front of a sold-out Amalie Arena, Maroon became only the fourth player in NHL history and the first since 1964 to win the Stanley Cup three seasons in a row with two different teams. He is the first to achieve the feat, which was accomplished by Ed Litzenberger with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1961 and then the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1962-64.
Maroon was already having fun on his social media account prior to the Stanley Cup making its first appearance on Amalie Arena ice since the 2004 Stanley Cup victory over the Calgary Flames.
On his Instagram account, he posted a photo of the Stanley Cup being carried to centre ice with the caption "Guy can't get rid of me" and tagged the Lightning:
Maroon contributed two goals and two assists while appearing in all 23 of Tampa's postseason games, with his most recent tally coming late in the 3rd period of what would ultimately Montreal's only win of the Cup Final in Game 4 Monday night.
"I'm proud of these guys,» Maroon told NBC Sports' Pierre McGuire shortly after the final horn. «It's hard to win one, but to go back-to-back is even harder.»
It was certainly the right call for the Lightning to offer the veteran forward a two-year contract after last season, and it was the right decision for Maroon to accept.
«Once you have that Stanley Cup, there's no other feeling like it and you just want more of it,» Maroon said.
Credit: hockeyfeed
