The Florida Panthers head coach is in tears due to…
Sunshine, Florida (AP)—In addition to assistance from a college admissions office, Paul Maurice’s path to becoming the next coach of the Florida Panthers featured a lucky flip of the remote control.
One evening in January, a month or so after he had resigned as the Winnipeg Jets’ coach, he was watching sports. He stumbled into the Panthers and soon told his wife that he was captivated by their team.
After a few weeks, Maurice’s son received admission to the University of Miami. It was one more indication.
Maurice remarked, “Hey, this might work out.”
Panthers fans hope he’s correct. When Maurice was unveiled as Florida’s next coach on Thursday, the team highlighted that, after a month-long search, he had the expertise.
He’s the perfect fit, having coached in the NHL for the fourth most games and seventh most wins of any coach in history.
Panthers general manager Bill Zito said, “When we spoke with Paul Maurice, it was overwhelming that this was the man to be a real fit.” “He was the right person to lead us through the obstacles we face on the way to achieving our ultimate objective.”
Last week, Zito gave Maurice a call to begin the interview process that resulted in his employment. Zito was an NHL agent for many years, but despite having various players who had played for him throughout the years, he had never really met Maurice.
Zito’s advice to Maurice was effective and did so fast.
Maurice declared, “The interview process was wonderful.”
I’m not sure how much time you spend with Bill, but in around fifteen minutes, he can get you fired up about hockey, right? So, an hour into the meeting, I’m lathering up and ready to go. And I adore it, and that’s what motivates me. Extremely intelligent, driven individuals who wish to present a fantastic program for the community as well as a fantastic game.”
Maurice will take over as coach of the Panthers, his fourth team. In 1995, he made his Hartford debut two seasons before the team moved to Carolina. Before going back to Carolina, he coached Toronto for two seasons. After that, he was the head coach in Winnipeg for almost nine years until he announced his resignation in December.
About a month later, he was watching the Panthers play from his couch. He felt that he no longer required a respite, and his conversations with Zito confirmed this.
They’re working on things, according to Maurice. “They have a plan in place in case something goes wrong. When they’re prepared to work, you can tell right away that you want to be involved. Consequently, that switch was quickly turned off, and it wasn’t from “I’m not coaching anymore.” “I’m only going to a place where I think I can make a difference,” was what it said.
After nearly three decades as an NHL head coach, Maurice is still without a Stanley Cup victory.
The same is true for panthers. They advanced to the championship game in 1996, were largely dormant for the following 25 years, but things picked up recently, winning the President’s Trophy this year, and now have the majority of their core of stars, including Sergei Bobrovsky, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Alexander Barkov, under contract for at least the upcoming campaign.
This summer, they’ll have to deal with some salary-cap issues, roster uncertainties, and the question of whether Andrew Brunette, who was elevated from assistant to interim coach following Joel Quenneville’s resignation last year, will return to Florida. Maurice and the Panthers both want him to stay.
But the final objective is evident: Maurice states that hockey’s greatest prize is the only thing that can guarantee that next year is a complete success.
Maurice stated, “That is the aspiration and where we want to get to.” “However, neither in training camp nor in October can we attempt a Cup run. Thus, we must begin preparing for that work on Day One and continue to do so every day. And we need to concentrate on it. We cannot win the Stanley Cup on opening day, so we won’t show up and declare, “We’re going to win it.”
