Pat Maroon turns Jack Edwards' mockery into charitable donation for people struggling with mental health
BOSTON -- In the middle of Tuesday night's game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins, NESN play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards decided to shine a spotlight on the body weight of Lightning forward Pat Maroon.
"Listed at 238 pounds -- that was day one of training camp. I've got a feeling he's had a few more pizzas between then and now," Edwards said. "Fasting -- [intermittent] fasting for Pat Maroon is like four hours without a meal. But, hey, three Cups in a row, who can argue with his formula?"
The 34-year-old Maroon is one of the bigger players in the NHL. Per the NHL's stat page, he's actually listed at 234 pounds, tied for the 12th-heaviest player in the NHL right now. Capitals star and future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin is listed at the same height while weighing four pounds more than Maroon, though, and Victor Hedman -- a teammate of Maroon -- is listed at 244 pounds. Their weight isn't typically brought up in the way that Maroon's was on NESN's telecast.
Rather than respond to Edwards directly, Maroon tweeted on Wednesday that he will be making a donation to an organization called Tampa Bay Thrives, and he will be doing so in Jack Edwards' name.
"In support of those struggling with mental health, bullying and body image, I am making a $2,000 donation in the name of @realjackedwards to @TampaBayThrives," Maroon tweeted.
Maroon also tweeted a link to the Lightning's official website that allows fans to donate as well.
Tampa Bay Thrives describes itself as "an innovative nonprofit with a mission of mobilizing the community to strengthen behavioral health outcomes for depression, anxiety and substance use disorder, with a focus on improving early intervention, access, and awareness. Founded in 2019, Tampa Bay Thrives was formed to improve the lives of individuals greatly affected by mental health and substance use disorders."
A follow-up tweet from The Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation said, "Words matter, and the words we choose to use can impact the mental well-being of others."
