For St. Louis Blues forward Patrick Maroon, the franchise's first title in NHL history carries even more meaning. After a long journey to the NHL, which includeearly struggles in Philadelphia, a rise in Edmonton and returnhome to St. Louis, the 31-year-old hoisted the Stanley Cup in his hometown jersey and capped off an unforgettable year as the Blues took downthe Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 on Wednesday. This is the best. NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) MORE: From dead last to last team standing Mickey Stanley Jersey , here's theBlues' journey tothe Cup While he was finally able to reach the ultimate goal, his road to the NHL was by no means traditional, and had a lot of roadblocks along the way. But that only made the win sweeter as his Cinderella story finished with a happy ending. "We did it. We did it. I mean, there's nothing else. I mean, we put everything on the line from Jan. 3 and on, and wedeserve this and what a way to finish it," Maroon told reporters after the victory. "On the road, where we play great, and all these people, all these media, doubted us all year long. ... I mean, it's amazing." After being taken by the Flyers in the sixth round of the 2007 NHL Draft, Maroon struggled to make the NHL jump, spending his first few years mainly with the Flyers' AHL-affiliate Adirondack Phantoms. Heading into the 2010-11 campaign, it looked like the young winger would finally see his career take off, as he seemed physically ready to makethe NHL level and also had a strong offseason, winningwon a gold medal in the 2010 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship over the summer. However, he still failed to make the opening night roster. And though he was the Phantoms' leading scorer with five goals and eight points in the first nine games of the season, he was dismi sed from the team with little explanation and one year left on his entry-level deal with the Flyers. So, he moved back to New Jersey to be closer to home and his 3-year-old son, Anthony. "I could have been done playing hockey. ... There's obviously thoughts that you probably won't get another contract, or get traded. I was sitting on my couch for a month and a half," ."That's probably the scariest time of my life. You don't know if you can provide for your son again." Soon after, Maroon was traded to the Ducks, where he capitalized onthe opportunityto start over. Herecorded 48 points in 57 games for their minor-league affiliate Syracuse Crunch to close out 2011. The next year, he got two NHL games and managed 74 points in 75 games before finally making it to the NHL fulltime in 2013-14, serving as their fourth-line forward. At the tail end of 2015-16, though, his career would finally take off when he was acquired by the Oilers at the trade deadline. He had just 13 points in 56 games at the time of the deal, but in the final 16 games of the season, Maroon made the jump to the top-6 for the Oilers, compiling eight goals and 14 points while also clicking instantly withConnor McDavid. He'd become an instant fan favorite in Edmonton and, the following season, had a career-high27 goals en route to helping the Oilers to their first playoff appearance in 11 years. STANLEY CUP FINAL 2019: Blues share the Cup with superfanLaila Anderson Despite making an impact with the Oilers, he was dealt at the deadline last season to the Devils, where he finished the year strong with13 points in 17 games. He hit the free agent market and for longterm deals, but in an effort to be close to his son and family,he and inked a one-year dealwith the Blues worth $1.75 million. While it was the perfect situation for him, the start of the year didn't start off on the right foot. He struggled, showinginconsistency in his game. The entire team wasn't playing up to standards, starting the month of January dead last in the league.Ultimately, he ended up finding his game as Craig Berube took over as head coach and St. Louis rebounded to earn a spot in the playoffs. From there, Maroon saw the Cup was just 16 wins away and made the most of his run. Not only was he the "hometown hero," he became a Game 7 hero in the second round against the Dallas Stars, scoring the game-winner in double overtime to push the Blues to the Western Conference Finals. Just 13 games later, he'd embrace his son on the ice, sharing the championship with his family for whom he'd joined the Blues' roster. "Being from St. Louis, and signing in St. Louis, and winning the Stanley Cup and bringing it home and being with friends, I can't wait for these next few days," Maroon told reporters after Game 7. "This is truly something I'll never forget. Me and my son will take this to our grave, and we'll have memories for life." Brendan White Jersey