The Chicago Blackhawks made their final trip to St. Louis this season. Before the game, Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon announced he was retiring from the game of hockey at the end of the season.
An emotional Pat Maroon tells @Panger40 before his final game in St. Louis that he will retire at the end of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/hmrJDAjD1f
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 22, 2025
The veteran forward spent the 2018–19 season with the St. Louis Blues and is a St. Louis native.
First period
In the first period, Alec Martinez left with an injury. Martinez was checked into the boards by Jake Neighbours. While it was not a dirty hit, Martinez would be out for the rest of the game. Arvid Soderblom stopped all five shots on goal. Jason Dickinson, who fought Neighbors after the hit on Martinez, was also injured and did not return.
Second period
The Blues started the scoring in the second period. Robert Thomas notched his 18th goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, Alexei Toropchenko scored his fourth goal of the season. The Hawks cut into the lead with a shorthanded goal from Ilya Mikheyev.
The Blackhawks have 2 short-handed goals this season…
Both of them belong to Ilya Mikheyev. 😤 pic.twitter.com/UhrY7wEW84
— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 22, 2025
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The period ended with the Hawks down 2–1.
Third period
In the third period, the Blues tacked on two more goals to put this game out of reach. Nathan Walker scored his eighth of the season and Zack Bolduc his 14th.
The Hawks lost 4–1. In a classy move, the Blues named Maroon the first star of the game.
Pat Maroon gets 1st star in his final hometown game ⭐️pic.twitter.com/H2iulzGkmb
— Spittin’ Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 22, 2025
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Analysis
The Blackhawks are a bad hockey team. In their last 27 road games, they are 3–20–4. In their last 19 games against the Blues, they are 3–15–1. This team has lost seven in a row and nobody is sure if they are capable of winning another game. While younger players like Ethan Del Mastro and Artyom Levshunov have improved this season, the Hawks’ youngsters are going to need to take big jumps in their development next season.
In the offseason of change, the Hawks will need a new coaching staff and new players on this roster. They have to bring more offensive talent to this team whether it is via trade or free agency. The Hawks cannot keep operating under the assumption that small tweaks will yield big results.
Congratulations to Maroon on a good NHL career. Could the three-time Stanley Cup champion join the Hawks or Blues in a front office role? We will have to wait and see.
The Hawks play in a matinee at the United Center against Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday on NHL Network and CHSN at 2 p.m. CDT.