TAMPA, Fla. — The moment the Lightning dressing room opened Thursday morning, Jack Edwards entered and made a beeline to the stall of Pat Maroon.
The veteran NESN broadcaster wanted to apologize. Clear the air.
It was the first time the two have been in the same building since Edwards’ controversial comments about the winger’s weight during the broadcast of a game between the teams in November. The clip went viral, with Maroon taking the high road, using it as a platform to raise $60,000 for a local profit that focuses on strengthening behavioral health outcomes.
On Thursday, Edwards initially knelt to chat with the three-time Cup champion at his stall as he untied his skates. A 10-minute conversation followed, with the pair both standing around the middle of the room. Several other Lightning players watched, as did the assembled media. Maroon was animated at times, but the two shook hands before the Tampa Bay forward exited.
Edwards told The Athletic later that he tried to explain to Maroon where he was coming from with his comments. He then wanted to listen to Maroon, who made it clear why he was upset and then told Edwards he had “moved on.”
“It was not intended to be mean-spirited. I went to Pat and explained that,” Edwards said. “He got his feelings off his chest, and I listened to all of it. I was not going to walk away. I let him go as long as he could. I wanted him to know I respected him as much as any NHL player for lasting as long as he has. Every single player who has played in the NHL is an unbelievable athlete, and I made that clear.”
It wasn’t as clear on Nov. 29, when Edwards and broadcast partner Andy Brickley seemed to be mocking the 34-year-old Maroon.
Pat Maroon, fully minding his own business
Jack Edwards: pic.twitter.com/TE27x02Xi2
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) November 30, 2022
Maroon and his teammates took the comments as a clear insult regarding Maroon’s weight, and an example of body shaming. By mid-afternoon the next day, Maroon sent out a tweet announcing a $2,000 donation in Edwards’ name to Tampa Bay Thrives, which helps those dealing with depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorder. In all, $60,000 was raised.
Edwards released a statement on Dec. 2., a few days after the broadcast, to The Athletic’s Bruins reporter, Fluto Shinzawa, saying he is “sensitive to the subject of body image” and “didn’t intend to offend anyone.” Edwards said he sent his contact information — his email and cell phone number — to the Lightning public relations staff, encouraging them to pass it along to Maroon. He never heard from Maroon but totally understood.
Edwards recalled Thursday advice given to him decades ago by late Boston broadcaster Clark Booth, who told him, “You can say anything about these guys that you want, as long as you believe it to be true. And you owe it to yourself and to the player that the next time you have a chance to get it out with them, you go to their dressing room stall and let them speak their piece.”
So Edwards attended the Lightning morning skate, sitting a handful of rows behind the bench in the stands. And he offered context to Maroon for his comments, saying he has immense respect for players who play the netfront, having seen the cost of it with another immovable object, Tim Kerr, after his playing days.
“With all due respect, and respect is due, Pat Maroon is a throwback player,” Edwards said. “He isn’t going to win many footraces. But once he posts up in front of the goal, he’s an elephant to move and guys try everything. The reason he has been a member of three Stanley Cup-winning teams in a row and four finals in a row — the list is really tiny for guys that changed franchises — is because he is the immovable object, and a lot of that has to do with his immense stature.
“So over the course of 18 years, there’s been an ongoing joke about training camp weight and midseason weight, and it was in the…
Read More: What broadcaster Jack Edwards said in his apology to Lightning’s Pat Maroon: ‘We