from Tal Pinchevsky of the New York Times,

Maroon’s is a unique hockey journey which shifted the day the Flyers told him to pack his bags.

“The organization made a decision to send him home,” said Greg Gilbert, who delivered that message to Maroon as the coach of Philadelphia’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

“He wasn’t committed to himself,” Gilbert said. “In Patrick’s case, I don’t really think he knew how to train and play at that level.”

At the time of his unceremonious exit, Maroon led the Phantoms with five goals in the team’s first nine games. He was emboldened the previous summer by his first overseas tournament, a gold medal performance at the 2010 I.I.H.F. InLine World Championship.

Playing alongside two of his oldest friends, Maroon scored seven goals and 14 points in six games at the in-line worlds. He even notched a goal and an assist in the gold medal game in Karlstad, Sweden, against the Czechs.

“It was the best time of my life,” Maroon said. “You got away from everything. You got away from all the stress and worries about other things. I went there to have fun and just enjoy my time with those guys and meet new people and enjoy Sweden.”

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