ST. LOUIS — For the past three years, St. Louis hasn't been able to cheer for the hometown team in the Stanley Cup Final. However, our hometown boy has given us someone to root for anyway.
After helping the Blues win their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2019, Oakville native Pat Maroon decided to keep the good times rolling. He has won two more in a row with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and is now back in the Final this season, looking for a personal four-peat.
Maroon's Lightning are matched up against the Colorado Avalanche in the Final this year. The Avalanche knocked the Blues out in the second round earlier in the playoffs.
But there's a little extra incentive for Maroon to beat the Avalanche this season other than just completing a 4-peat. And it has to do with the Colorado owner, who has long been public enemy No. 1 in St. Louis.
Maroon is a faithful St. Louisan through and through and showed why on former NFL punter Pat McAfee's show ahead of the series.
"I hate Stan Kroenke. I'm a St. Louis boy. I can't stand that guy," Maroon said on McAfee's show.
Kroenke, of course, doesn't just own the Avalanche. He also owns the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, and infamously moved the team out of St. Louis following the 2015 season.
The move made Kroenke a pariah in St. Louis and resulted in a lawsuit that settled for $790 million for St. Louis.
Maroon has always made it a point to support his hometown and even brought the Stanley Cup back to his alma mater of Oakville High School after winning it all last year.
And Maroon did have some more to say about his distain for Kroenke and the Rams leaving his hometown.
"To have that (the Rams) taken away from us... It just sucks. I know we had terrible years. (Rams DE) Chris Long would always tell me, 'I mean our teams are terrible.' And then he goes away and wins back-to-back Super Bowls. So it's just like you go from that environment to that and you wonder why... But the fans are true passion in St. Louis and I just can't stand that guy (Kroenke) for taking them (The Rams) out of there."
You can watch Maroon's full comments about Kroenke by clicking here. Warning: the clip does contain profanity.
Maroon and the Lightning will begin their quest for another Stanley Cup in Game 1 against the Avalanche on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Central Time on ABC.