Maroon thriving in homecoming with Blues on run to Stanley Cup Final

It was the same place where he had played roller hockey as a kid, the same place where his uncle Rob Ferrara owns All American Inline Hockey today.Pat could play for his hometown team in front of his family and friends. He went home with his son and his fiancee, Francesca Vangel.Two hours later, Pat called his dad."Dad," he said, "I signed with the Blues."In the end, being with his son was most important, so Pat signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Blues on July 9.The family was ecstatic. They're already predicting you're going to win."With that, Pat's grandpa puffed on his cigar.WATCH: Maroon's grandpa delivers a welcome home messagePat's decision has led to an epic season -- for himself, for his son, for his family.His son, now 10, plays for the same youth team he did, the Meramec Sharks, and for the first time, father and son got to play in the father-son game together in March.His grandpa died April 9, the day before the Blues played the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round. Whoever isn't attending a game watches it on television at Rob's house, which has a Blues sign out front, "LET'S GO BLUES" painted on the front lawn and Pat's memorabilia mixed with other sports memorabilia inside.After family members kissed his grandpa's prayer card in the stands, Pat scored the winning goal in double overtime of Game 7 of the second round against the Dallas Stars.Now he's playing against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final, in the Blues' first Cup Final appearance since 1970. A lot of highs, a lot of lows, but we're getting through this together."* * * * *You could say Pat would run through a wall to play hockey.One day when he was 12 or 13, his mom, Pattie, went down to their finished basement while Pat and a bunch of guys were mid-game. He always had excellent hands and hockey sense, but he had to battle his weight and climb the ranks.Pat played for the AAA Blues for coach Jeff Brown, the former NHL defenseman who played in St. Louis from 1989-94, but only after Brown initially cut him. For Rob, it hit home during the national anthem, when Pat was standing on the ice, starting on a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry."I'm like, 'Pshhh,' " Rob said, making his tears sound like they gushed from a firehose.A group of family and friends made it to Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 16, 2013, when Pat scored his first NHL goal in a 3-2 win for the Ducks at the Nashville Predators.Eventually, Pat established himself in the NHL: three full seasons with the Ducks (2013-16), 154 games with the Edmonton Oilers (2016-18), and 17 games with the New Jersey Devils after the NHL Trade Deadline last season. He set career highs in goals (27) and points (42) playing with center Connor McDavid in 2016-17.Forward Cam Janssen, who played 336 NHL games from 2005-14, including 165 for the Blues from 2007-11, was the first player born and raised in St. Louis to make it. Stars goalie Ben Bishop grew up in St. Louis but was born in Denver."I always say Cam and Pat, they're the two biggest success stories in the history of St. Louis hockey," Strickland said.* * * * *When Pat played in Edmonton, family members would bring his son to see him whenever possible. And then the day we left, we'd pull up to that airport to check our luggage, and he'd be screaming, 'I want my daddy.' It's like, they're going to pull me over, because they think I'm kidnapping this child."On Dec. 19, 2016, Pat scored the tying goal in the third period, and the Oilers defeated the Blues 3-2 in St. Louis. Through his first 25 games with the Blues, Pat had one goal and seven assists.The fears about playing at home started to be realized."You'd hear the whispers in the stands -- not even whispers, the yelling in the stands," his dad said. Pat had 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his final 19 regular-season games, and the Blues made the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Pat's grandpa loved it. That is what happened."There is a little disagreement on the details."It was about a minute," Rob said.But this much is certain: Pat scored at 5:50 of the second overtime in Game 7 in St. Louis to send the Blues to the conference final.Video: DAL@STL, Gm7: Maroon's 2OT goal sends Blues to WCFNot far away, Pat's mom hadn't seen the play because she'd sat down while others were standing. All that stuff is critically important, and that's what jacks me up about this."Pat Maroon, the hometown boy, made good."You know, good things happen to good people, and he's a kid that signed for less to go home and be a dad and be around his family and friends and everything, and look what's happened to him," Brown said.