The UW Warriors celebrated a former hockey player and alum, Rob Maric, who won numerous awards in the program history, including being named a first-team All Canadian defenceman in 2001.
The celebration took place in the Columbia Ice Field on Jan. 31 before the Warriors game against the Guelph Gryphons. An all-Canadian banner featuring Maric’s number seven was raised to the rafters in the CIF arena. Maric attended with his wife, Karen, and their three daughters, Emma, Hannah and Samantha.
“It was very good, it was actually on my wife’s birthday,” Maric said about the event, adding that it was a busy day. “It was very nice that I was able to meet up with a lot of these former teammates. I felt like when I saw them again, we hadn’t missed a beat.”
The Kitchener native began playing hockey when he was seven years old and grew up playing in the Kitchener Minor Hockey Association. After learning the fundamentals of hockey, he played in house league, then up to the select team. By the time he was about 10 years old, Maric was playing in AA, and by 14, he was playing in AAA. He played for the Kitchener Dutchmen (now known as the Ayr Centennials as of 2020) for the 1993-1994 season before moving on to the Kitchener Rangers.
When asked about his skills, Maric said, “A lot of time was invested in skill development, fundamentals, [and] power skating. I think I had a natural affinity for sports, and I was able to pick up on certain things very quickly.”
After playing three seasons with the Rangers, Maric joined the Warriors in 1997. He was a strong player the moment he stepped on the ice, being named the 1998 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West rookie of the year. From there, he developed a reputation as one of the best two-way defencemen in Canadian university hockey, scoring a career-high 18 points in the 1998-1999 season. In both 2000 and 2001, Maric was named an OUA West first-team all-star, and was also named OUA West’s most sportsmanlike player in 2000.
In his last season with the Warriors, Maric notched 17 points across 23 games, while playing massive minutes in a shutdown role on the Warriors blue line. He earned a first-team All-Canadian selection for his efforts — one of only three Warrior defensemen in history to make the national all-star team. Maric noted that his family, friends, fellow players, and coaches all helped to contribute to his success. “Between the players, time spent at the rink, and having coaches help to refine certain things if they see something -– I think all three of those things combined did help improve me as a player.”
After the Warriors, Maric played for the Cambridge Hornets for two seasons, then for the Dundas Real McCoys for the 2006-2007 season. He also played recreational hockey until about 2020. He is an assistant power skating instructor and has coached his daughters.
As a student at UW, Maric earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental science, and a master’s degree in earth science. He currently works as a senior hydrogeologist, becoming an expert in groundwater resource management and protection.
“I’m grateful for my career, I’m happy with the career I’m in right now, [and] I’m glad my girls are playing sports, going to school, and working hard,” Maric said. When asked if there was anything he would like to add, Maric said, “I’m very grateful for my wife and kids, and parents, family.”
