{"id":1941,"date":"2024-11-08T16:06:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T16:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=1941"},"modified":"2024-11-08T16:06:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-08T16:06:18","slug":"breaking-blackhawks-veteran-pat-maroon-is-lukas-reichels-polar-opposite-and-his-perfect-mentor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=1941","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Blackhawks veteran Pat Maroon is Lukas Reichel’s polar opposite \u2014 and his perfect mentor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Blackhawks<\/p>\n

Gruff, grizzled Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon looks like someone who would enjoy chewing tobacco, and he does. He usually keeps some pouches in his locker.<\/p>\n

When that tobacco goes missing, though, it might be surprising to hear that Lukas Reichel \u2014 the fashionable German kid without a single facial hair \u2014 is the primary suspect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really take chew, but sometimes I steal it from him,\u201d Reichel said Tuesday with a mischievous grin. \u201cHe hates it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antics like that have helped Maroon and Reichel, the Hawks\u2019 oddest couple, form a close friendship. Maroon has become the unexpected perfect mentor that Reichel always needed to find his rhythm in the NHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a funny kid,\u201d Maroon said. \u201cEveryone gets a kick out of him \u2014 everyone gets a good laugh at least once a day out of him. I just enjoy seeing his success.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor young guys, people don\u2019t give them enough time. They expect them to come out of the gates and be a superstar right away. Sometimes it takes time for kids to develop and find their way in this league, and I\u2019m just happy he\u2019s starting to find that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past, Reichel struggled to translate his natural talent into NHL effectiveness largely because of a lack of confidence. Although he made progress with accepting and moving on from mistakes last season, he had a tendency to get in his head and second-guess himself when things didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n

After 14 years and three Stanley Cup titles, Maroon approaches hockey with a polar-opposite mentality \u2014 which has proved contagious to Reichel. Maroon also tries to keep Reichel in the moment by talking to and messing with him between shifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s never a bad day in the NHL,\u201d Maroon said. \u201cI try to keep my linemates loose, [so we] just go out there and play the game. You can\u2019t be worried about mistakes or what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said Reichel: \u201cIt\u2019s more about having fun on the bench. It\u2019s just the way he is. You look at him, and he\u2019s a funny guy. It\u2019s funny being around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Blackhawks <\/picture>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>
Pat Maroon (left) has been a positive influence on Lukas Riechel this season.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>
\n

Ryan Sun\/AP Photos<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Those efforts are paying dividends: Reichel is playing his best hockey in two years, and it doesn\u2019t appear to be a blip.<\/p>\n

He entered the matchup against the Stars on Thursday with six points in 10 games, ranking second on the team in five-on-five points per minute. Even on shifts in which he doesn\u2019t produce, he\u2019s still winning puck battles, breaking down defenses, diligently forechecking and backchecking and making smart decisions in every zone.<\/p>\n

Coach Luke Richardson has admitted he never expected Maroon and Craig Smith, another well-traveled veteran, to be such suitable linemates for Reichel, but it has worked out that way. That trio has outscored opponents 3-1 in 52 minutes of five-on-five ice time together the last few weeks.<\/p>\n

\"Lukas<\/p>\n

Against Dallas, they were finally broken up for the best of reasons: Richardson promoted Reichel onto a new-look first line with Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall. Only time will tell if they click together \u2014 along with the rest of the team, they struggled against the Stars \u2014 but Reichel has earned the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201c[He has played well] three, four, five games in a row, so to me, that\u2019s becoming consistent,\u201d Richardson said recently. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason to take a step back and relax. It\u2019s a tough league, and he has realized that. Hopefully this is something sustainable for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chemistry between Maroon and Reichel, however, is most evident on the bench and in the locker room, not on the ice, so it shouldn\u2019t be disrupted by this line shake-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing is [Reichel] feels comfortable right now,\u201d Maroon said. \u201cFrom talking to him, the last two years he just didn\u2019t have that comfortability, didn\u2019t have the confidence. It was tough sledding for him.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018He\u2019s got that right now. He\u2019s got that swagger he was probably missing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maroon’s antics and advice help keep Reichel out of his head and feeling confident on the ice. Their unexpected chemistry has fueled Reichel’s early-season turnaround, leading to his promotion to the first line Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago-blackhawks"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Blackhawks veteran Pat Maroon is Lukas Reichel's polar opposite \u2014 and his perfect mentor - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=1941\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Blackhawks veteran Pat Maroon is Lukas Reichel's polar opposite \u2014 and his perfect mentor - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Maroon's antics and advice help keep Reichel out of his head and feeling confident on the ice. 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