January 31, 2012
Back from the brink
One year after being jettisoned by the Philadelphia Flyers, forward Patrick Maroon is making the most of his second chance in Syracuse
by Tim McManus/Correspondent
Patrick Maroon
No one can ever accuse Patrick Maroon of not knowing how to celebrate a goal. He even has a couple variations in his repertoire.
There's the deep-knee bend and fist-pump combination. Then there's the one where he thrusts his arms skyward as if he's soaking in every bit of the reaction.
After scoring a goal at the Glens Falls Civic Center in November against the Adirondack Phantoms, Maroon went with the latter. This time, his hands seemed to linger pointedly over his head as drifted back to his bench, in no particular hurry.
The Syracuse Crunch forward has plenty of things to celebrate these days, and scoring in a victory over the franchise that cast him away was just one of them.
Almost a year to the day from that goal, the Philadelphia Flyers told Maroon after a practice in Adirondack to pack his things and go home. He wasn't traded, he wasn't cut, but they had no need for his services anymore.
The reasons remain murky. But he languished for nearly a month, living with an aunt in Lyndhurst, N.J., away from the game while a trade was arranged.
Maroon ended up in the Anaheim organization and has thrived with the Ducks' AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Through the end of December, Maroon led Syracuse in scoring with 29 points in 26 games and seemed a sure-fire choice for the league's All-Star game in January.
Even better, he made his NHL debut on Oct. 26, skating with Anaheim's top line.
So yes, Maroon didn't feel the need to be bashful after scoring against his old mates.
"I'm still trying to make a statement. They got rid of me; they sent me home," he said. "That's never going to leave me. I'm out here to make a statement, prove to them that I'm the man I am."
The man he is was very much in question this time last year.
Heading into a home game on Oct. 30, 2010, Maroon was the Phantoms' leading scorer and a fan favorite. The sixth-round draft pick of the Flyers in 2007 had five goals, more than a quarter of the total offense of a Phantoms team limping through a putrid start to the season.
The first sign anything was amiss came when Maroon didn't come out on the ice for pregame warm-ups. He had skated in practice as recently as two days earlier.
When Maroon was announced as a scratch, a buzz shot through the crowd and fans on Twitter immediately speculated he must have been called up.
Perhaps the rare presence of Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren should have been a sign that deeper problems existed.
After a 4-1 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, then-Phantoms coach Greg Gilbert responded to a question on Maroon by saying, "(He's) no longer with the team, pending assignment by the organization."
Players called it an internal dressing room matter and refused comment.
The next night, Holmgren wouldn't discuss specifics or say if it was a particular incident that led to Maroon's dismissal. But he cited a "pattern" that led to his decision.
"I'm not going to get into the whys and the how-comes," Holmgren said. "From time to time you have to do things that are not nice in the interest of the team, the organization and the hockey team. And this is a decision that ultimately I made."
While he waited for an inevitable trade at a relative's home in New Jersey, the St. Louis native wondered if he'd ever get his reputation back.
"They probably think different. They probably think I did something wrong in the locker room, which is not true; that I did something off the ice, which is not true," Maroon said.
On Nov. 21, 2010, The Flyers traded Maroon and forward David Laliberte to Anaheim for defenseman Danny Syvret and forward Rob Bordson.
While the veteran Syvret helped stabilize a young Phantoms defense, Anaheim clearly got the better of the deal, as Maroon is the only player involved to still be with the team he was traded to.
Getting his first call to the NHL was the icing on the cake for him.
"Anaheim gave me a chance, the only team that gave me a chance," Maroon said. "They traded for me last year, obviously they have confidence in me. ... My first two games ever in the NHL, it was very emotional and I was very excited."
At 6-foot-4, a listed weight of 225 pounds with a smooth set of hands, Maroon's skills as a power forward have never been in question. But his skating -- he retained an upright posture from his days as an in-line player -- and ability to maintain a healthy playing weight have been concerns dating back to his first season with the Phantoms.
But when he's right, as he seems to have been for most of this season, he's tough to handle. Maroon nearly averaged a point per game in his first 83 games with the Crunch and scored 32 goals.
"He seems to have a knack of finding space around the net and coming in that right time," said Phantoms coach Joe Paterson, who wasn't with the team when Maroon was there. "He's a strong guy on the puck."
Maroon certainly won't be forgetting his dismissal anytime soon, but with finding success in his post-Flyers career, he said he's moved on.
He'll probably always hear the jeers at the Glens Falls Civic Center, but there's nothing he can do about that. Maroon's focus is on the games in front of him and climbing back for another NHL chance.
"They gave me a chance and down here I'm just trying to be the best player to help my team win," Maroon said.
Tim McManus can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
AHL NOTES
Through the Christmas break, the Adirondack Phantoms had lost 10 players to injuries or call-ups that contributed to their strong first two months of the season. ... The Albany Devils became a particularly tough team to play at home in November and December, recording standings points in 11 of 12 games at the Times Union Center through Dec. 20 ... The defending league champion Binghamton Senators had the league's worst record through Dec. 20. They hope to get a boost from the late December return of Corey Locke, the league's returning MVP, who has been out since Oct. 28 with a broken hand. ...Through Dec. 20, the Rochester Americans were second in the Northern Division despite posting just a 4-12 record away from the Blue Cross Arena. ... Long known as one of the league's toughest teams, the Syracuse Crunch had the second fewest penalty minutes in the league as of Dec. 20.
-- TIM McMANUS
