BUFFALO, N.Y. — Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon knows he's lucky he only has to travel to St. Louis to be home for Christmas. European players, he realizes, don't have enough time during the NHL's three-day holiday break to fly all the way home.
So after three months of playing alongside Lukas Reichel, Maroon decided to invite the Hawks' lone German to come spend the holiday with him.
"I figured I'd give him an opportunity to come hang out and see what the Maroon Christmas is all about," he said Friday.
Maroon has become Reichel’s perfect mentor this season because of their polar-opposite personalities. Maroon's combination of gruffness and silliness keeps Reichel in the moment and out of his head, and they both feel comfortable messing with each other in the locker room and on the bench.
There were no pranks this Christmas, though — just wholesome moments. Maroon's wife, Francesca, ensured Reichel had some gifts under the tree to unwrap. They gave him a hoodie and T-shirt from AllSaints, his favorite clothing brand.
And for the family photoshoot, Reichel squeezed into a sleigh with Maroon's 16-year-old son Anthony and three-year-old daughter Goldie, creating a priceless photo.
Reichel, who won't turn 23 until May, chuckled when pointing out he's actually closer in age to Anthony than to his 36-year-old Hawks linemate.
"It was nice because my family couldn't come over and I was kind of alone," Reichel said. "It's better to celebrate with him."
With the holiday break in the past, Maroon is focused on rejuvenating the success the fourth line enjoyed earlier this season when Craig Smith was skating on Reichel's other wing.
Since Smith suffered a back injury and Joey Anderson (and, on Friday, Philipp Kurashev) took over that role, their effectiveness has waned. Maroon entered Friday mired in a 10-game point drought. Interim coach Anders Sorensen has reduced his ice time lately, giving him less than 11 minutes in four consecutive games and less than nine minutes in the last two.
"We could play a lot better than we have been," Maroon said. "We've just got to get back to the simple game: working hard, grinding it down low, creating offense."
Nearly halfway through a one-year contract in his eighth career NHL organization, one might assume Maroon is already eyeing the trade deadline, but he insists he's enjoying this role despite the Hawks' lack of team success. The satisfaction he gets from mentoring Reichel contributes to that.
"Listen, I'm happy where I'm at in my career and happy where I'm at right now," he said. "I know everyone probably expects to see more, but this is who we've got. I've put up numbers before in this league, and they come in bunches. I had a stretch here where they came a lot, and now I have a stretch where it's not there. I can't let that get in the way of anything. I've just got to keep working hard."
The weather forecast — rain showers and a high of 41 degrees — for the Winter Classic on Tuesday doesn't look ideal right now. The NHL's ice-making team has demonstrated its ability to handle all types of weather challenges over the years, but those conditions wouldn't be particularly fun for fans.
"You're obviously really excited for it to come, but it will be good when the buildup is over and you can actually just get out and play in the game," Connor Bedard said Friday.
