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

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.”