Frank Nazar shockingly recalls being terrified of 3x Stanley Cup champion - "He was going to rip my head off"

Chicago Blackhawks budding star Frank Nazar shared the most terrifying experience of his hockey career.

During an appearance on Morning Cuppa Hockey published on September 5, Nazar discussed his run-in with three-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon. The “incident” came early in Nazar’s tenure with Chicago.

The 21-year-old center described it as:

“Like in the beginning, I was like, this is kind of weird, but in the beginning I was super scared of Patty.”

Maroon’s intimidating presence made an impression on Frank Nazar. In particular, Maroon blasted his teammates for turning pucks over and playing poorly in the offensive zone. However, Nazar made a couple of bad plays, which did not go unnoticed.

Nazar added:

“Yeah, that was the scariest moment of my hockey career. Honestly, I thought he's gonna rip my head off. We started a game. We weren't playing too well. We're just turning pucks over in the neutral zone at the blue lines. I was kind of having a bad start to the game.”

But it was a mid-game faux pas that prompted Maroon to go ballistic.

“I get out there, like, first shift, and I try to, like, dump it in, I can I try, and then I go to make a move and, like, toe drag at the blue line, the other team takes it and goes down the other way, and I sit down on the bench, like my head down, and he's always at the one end of the bench, like he's always in the same seat, and he's sitting there, like standing over me, just giving it and, like, leaning in.”

Maroon, of course, had the best intentions. He wanted his team to play well and win games. That feeling rubbed off on Frank Nazar. After the harrowing incident, the young gun got closer to Pat Maroon.

That situation prompted Nazar to conclude:

“This was before I really got to know to know Him, and kind of, like, gain his trust and like, understand them, and oh, wow, I was like, This guy's gonna hate me the rest of his life.”

Check out Nazar’s comments here:

Jonny Lazarus

@JLazzy23

Frank Nazar shockingly recalls being terrified of 3x Stanley Cup champion - "He was going to rip my head off"

Frank Nazar remains the same guy even after monster contract

The Blackhawks backed up the Brinks truck to keep Frank Nazar in Chicago long term. The club signed the up-and-coming young star to a seven-year, $46 million contract earlier this summer.

The outrageous sum of money could be enough to go to anyone’s head. But not Nazar. He insists he remains the same guy despite the monster extension.

Sportsnet captured Frank Nazar’s comments following the contract signing, stating:

“I’m going to go into each season and, you know, each day thinking that I’m the best and just like believing in my process and what I can do, and honestly, I don’t really think anything changes for me.... I’m still super motivated and still want to be the best player I can be."

Chicago expects Nazar to be the best he can be, as the Blackhawks hope to turn their fortunes around. While it’s unlikely the club makes the playoffs this upcoming season, the expectation is that the team’s young stars take the next step.

That’s something that Nazar hopes can happen under new coach Jeff Blashill. The former first-round pick from 2022 will be looking to improve on his 58-game career totals this season. A full, healthy campaign could catapult the rising star into an echelon of the game’s most talented up-and-coming players, like teammate Connor Bedard.