Every team has its cornerstone - a player whose presence changes the dynamic, lifts morale, and turns near-misses into moments of triumph. For us, that was The Big Rig.
Last season unfolded like a winding road of grit and heartbreak. There were moments we held the line, fought tooth and nail, and came so close to turning the tide. But deep down, there was an absence—an unspoken “what if” that lingered in every locker room talk, every timeout huddle, every final whistle. If only we had him.
The Big Rig wasn’t just a name; he was a force. Towering, relentless, a leader in both silence and roar. With him on the field, we didn’t just play—we believed. He was the kind of player who didn’t just shift the scoreline, but shifted our mindset. Confidence swelled, defenses held, and offense dared to dream big.
Without him, we learned. We grew tougher, leaned on one another more, and some of us stepped into roles we weren’t ready for. But still, the thought haunted us: things might have been different. That missed playoff berth? That one-point loss? That overtime heartbreak? All of it, shadowed by his absence.
And yet, that’s what makes teams stronger. The pain of missing someone doesn’t just define a season—it fuels the next one. Because this time, maybe The Big Rig’s back. And this time, we’re more than ready.
Back in Tampa Bay, Pat Maroon lends a hand at Lightning girls summer hockey camp
The Tampa Bay Lightning Girls Summer Hockey Camp kicked off on Monday at TGH Ice Plex. Sixty girls between the ages of 5-15 are attending the five-day camp, which is led by two-time World Champion Kelley Steadman of the U.S. Women’s National Team. Steadman said enrollment has doubled since the camp started.
“When we were kids growing up we didn’t have this,” Steadman added. “We all played boys’ hockey, which was great, but we didn’t have role models to look up to that some of the girls do now.”
Former Lightning forward Pat Maroon, who recently retired from the NHL, is back in Tampa Bay and was on the ice to lend a hand.
“I think our organization has done such a great job supporting our co-ed programs but also just specifically girls hockey,” said Steadman. “To have Pat out there with the girls is really huge. There's not a lot of teams that have guys that would make that effort to be here.”
“Watching what the Tampa community does for everyone and especially girls hockey, how they’ve grown it here and how hockey’s grown the last five, six years just in Tampa alone…I’m really excited to be part of this week,” Maroon said. "I don’t know if half of them know me. Maybe they do.”
Maroon played 14 seasons in the NHL, four of those were with the Lightning. As a girl dad, it's even more important to him that the game continues to grow.
“They’ve already seen NHL players, but now they get to see the PWHL too. They’re growing the game, and for me that’s awesome. This is how you do it.”
“It’s exciting because if they fall in love with it, you’ll see them at Lightning games and PWHL games,” Maroon said of the camp attendees. “It’s just going to keep growing. I think with us, we want everyone to be involved.”
The PWHL is a women's professional ice hockey league in North America. The league includes eight teams, four from the United States and four from Canada. At the end of the season, four teams earn a spot for a chance to win the Walter Cup.
Participation in girls and women's hockey in the U.S. is up. USA Hockey reported that the 2024-25 season saw a record number of girls’ and women’s hockey players registered, up over 5% from the previous season, which outpaced overall player growth (+2.37% YOY).
As Maroon enters a new chapter off the ice, he’s excited to continue giving back to the game and community that gave him so much.
“I have a lot of history here…two Stanley Cups, a lot of friendships here and a lot of good memories here in the Tampa organization and the group of guys I met here in that group of runs, my teammates, it’s really special.” Maroon said. “Tampa means a lot to me, so being back here, it feels weird not dressing up and skating with my son on the other rink, but just to put the skates on again and go out here and help as much as I can, it feels special.”
