In their own words, Panthers explain their ‘utmost respect' for Paul Maurice
Paul Maurice does what he can to deflect the credit. As he leads the Florida Panthers on the most triumphant run in franchise history — three Stanley Cup Final appearances and back-to-back championships in his first three years at the helm — Maurice insists it's not primarily his doing. Any success the Panthers have should be directly toward the players.
'They do the real work,' Maurice said. 'We just drink coffee and swear.'
But Maurice does so much more than that even if he doesn't want to admit it.
He's the selfless leader with more than three decades of coaching experience. He's the wise coach who seems to know exactly what to say and when to say it and how to say it. He's the architect of the defensive structure that makes opponents hate to play against them and finally had Florida in position to thrive in the playoffs.
And now, Maurice is a two-time Stanley Cup champion after going his entire career — which included stops with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes (twice), Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets before joining Florida — wondering if he'd ever win it once. He became just the third head coach the expansion era (since the 1967-68 season) to win multiple Stanley Cups in his first three seasons with a team, joining Pittsburgh's Mike Sullivan (2016 and 2017) and Los Angeles' Darryl Sutter (2012 and 2014).
'He really has control of this team,' said Panthers center Sam Bennett, who won the Conn Smythe as playoffs MVP after scoring 15 goals throughout the postseason and is a player Maurice regularly points out as the identity of the team. 'The team's really just bought into the culture that he's implemented into this team, and we're all willing to do whatever it takes and play that hard style that he keeps preaching to us night in and night out and we've all just bought into that over the years.'
Why is that? Maurice says it starts with honesty and directness.
'If you walk into the room and you just tell the truth, whether they want to hear it or not but it's the truth, and over time you could look back and say, 'What that person told me was the truth,' you'll have respect for that,' said Maurice, who signed a five-year contract extension early in the season to remain as the team's head coach. 'So, I work hard at trying to find the truth every day and then just telling it as simply as I can with the occasional joke slipped in. Most times I'm the only one that thinks it's funny.'
And through it all, through the turnaround (both for himself and the franchise) and through the winning, Maurice has remained wholly himself.
'I don't think he's changed since winning,' Bennett said. 'He's the same. He can be hard on us. He's hard on us when he needs to be, and then he's relaxed with us when he knows that we need to, so I think he really does have a good feel for what our team needs. We all have the utmost respect for him.'
That's clear based on almost anyone you talk to.
In their own words, here's what various members of the Panthers organization had to say about Maurice:
▪ Star winger Matthew Tkachuk: 'He keeps things light, but he expects us to work our hardest and he's very prepared and — I know I've said this before — he can get you up for a Tuesday night game against Columbus or whatever in the middle of the year and it feels like a playoff game. His speeches and his ability to get us to run through a wall each and every game is a big gift.
'He gets the buy-in from the players and he treats all of us the same, which I think is really important as a coach and not to treat guys differently. He expects us all to work hard and treat each other with respect and everything, but he treats us all the exact same. He's been a great coach and we're super lucky to have him here.'
▪ President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito: 'He's a very bright man. He's a teacher. He's a coach. He'll push, he'll pull, he'll harp. But you don't want to disappoint him. His character is so high that, working with him, he makes you want to be better because you don't want to disappoint him.'
▪ Defenseman Seth Jones, who joined the Panthers at the trade deadline in March: 'He doesn't change at all. I think ever since the first day I came in here, the first meeting I had with him, he was very direct. He knows what he wants you to do. He gives you your role. He knows how the team plays, how he wants you to play, your strengths, your weaknesses and so on. So he's great in front of the team. Knows when to keep it light, when to joke around, when to be serious. He's got a great temperature on the room, and in the playoffs, we're a team that we don't dwell on wins, we don't dwell on losses we live in the moment game by game, and he does a great job of that. It's always moving forward. It's always how can we get better? And that's really the main thing, and the impressive thing.
'It's different than what I've had. I think he knows how to really take the temperature of the group and the situation of the group. And he can have a meeting where he's very intense, calling guys out or calling the team out. But he's also very good at throwing a joke in there, throwing a funny clip in there when we're doing video. He's very smart. I think he understands what the team needs at any given time. I don't think he gets too high or too low based on certain situations.'
▪ Forward Carter Verhaeghe: 'He's one of a kind. We see his sense of humor with you guys and everything like that, and he kind of has the same sense of humor with us. He keeps everything light, but makes you want to work; and for the right reasons, for each other. At any given time, he knows what the group needs, whether it's a clip of [Niko Mikkola] doing something on the ice on video or something like that. So it keeps us loose and focused at the same time, which is good.'
▪ Panthers president and CEO Matt Caldwell: 'Paul is obviously an absolute professional, well respected, inspirational leader. He's got a great working relationship with Bill Zito. The three of us have a great, great relationship, and obviously the team success has been phenomenal, but the culture that's been built, you can tell how much the players love playing for him. Sam Bennett was just recently talking about how much the players respect their coach, and appreciate this destination franchise that we have. I've learned a lot while watching him.
'He's got a very cool, calm demeanor. He sticks to his process. He communicates really well. He doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low. He's a great teacher, but I just think his ability — you could see from the team, like we're a very resilient team, and we respond to anything that happens on and off the ice. Watching him, he knows when he's got to keep people accountable. He knows when he has to correct people, but he also knows when he's got to be patient and communicate and teach more. So just his balance of managing all the emotions of the game and the long season is very inspirational to watch.'
▪ Defenseman Gustav Forsling: 'He's got a great hockey mind, but he's very smart and he sees the game very well. Just a great guy overall. He's a great human being. That's one thing that really stood out to me, how good of a human he is and that he really cares.'
▪ Forward Brad Marchand: 'He's very good at getting his messaging across, relaying what style of game that we need to play. He does a great job at making changes throughout series and throughout games and then just the way he makes you feel the passion that he obviously has. He's just one of those people that knows how to bring the best out of every player.'
▪ Defenseman Nate Schmidt, who briefly played for Maurice in Winnipeg: 'They give you a blueprint of how he wants you to play, and he molds that around your strengths as a player and he doesn't ask you to do more than what you should be doing. It's not the easiest system just to jump into, but he expects a certain level out of each guy and if you give that to him, there's no problem. And that's something that I find it was freeing for me, and once you kind of settle into how he wants you to play and into what kind of role he wants you to be in, it takes a lot of the pressure off.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brad Marchand Takes To Social Media To Thank Devils
After winning the Stanley Cup earlier this week, the summer of Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers has officially kicked off. The 37-year-old former Boston Bruins captain is having the time of his life after clinching his second Cup. After lifting the Cup on Tuesday, Marchand joined Panthers' fans in a "Thank you, Boston" chant on Wednesday. Advertisement The following night, he took to social media to extend his gratitude to his former team. On his Instagram page, he posted stories thanking his teammates' former teams. Starting with the New Jersey Devils. Courtesy of Brad Marchand's Instagram Page Five former Devils were part of the Panthers' Stanley Cup victory. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov won his second consecutive Cup while Jesper Boqvist, A.J. Greer, Tomas Nosek, and Vitek Vanecek each won it for the first time. Marchand continued to thank the Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, and more. You can see his hilarious Instagram stories here. Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for the latest news and updates this offseason. Advertisement The Mental Side of the Game: Devils Players & Mental Skills Coach Andy Swärd Take You Behind the Scenes
New York Post
40 minutes ago
- New York Post
Plucky Pacers keep raising bar for Knicks' coaching search with what-ifs stinging even more
We knew the Knicks were fairly close under Tom Thibodeau. But this close? Nope. With each day the NBA Finals were extended by those plucky Pacers, the bar shifted upward for the Knicks front office and their next coach. Advertisement Because in retrospect, the Pacers, who eliminated the Knicks in the conference finals, are better than we imagined. They've pushed the Thunder to the brink after most inside the NBA atmosphere — from pundits to talent evaluators to players — believed Indiana to be vastly inferior. The Thunder, after all, steamrolled the NBA to this point (except for the Nuggets), winning 68 games in the regular season before going 12-4 in the Western Conference playoff bracket. They have the MVP, the league's best defense, the advantage of youth and depth. They were supposed to pummel the Pacers with these tools, but Game 7 is now booked for Sunday because Indy curb stomped OKC in Thursday night's Game 6, 108-91. It'll be the first Game 7 of the NBA Finals since a 73-win team from Golden State was stunned at home by Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in 2016.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Oilers' Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch on Connor McDavid extension, goaltending and more
EDMONTON — Words matter and there were a lot of them uttered in Friday's press conference featuring Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman and coach Kris Knoblauch. So, let's cut through the noise and get to the most impactful ones. These were the five most important things said by two of the Oilers' chief decision-makers as they try to forge ahead to next season after a frustrating loss in the Stanley Cup Final. Now, it's time to decipher what they really mean. 'It's my job to connect with Connor in that way and demonstrate that that's what we're all trying to do. We all have the same objective.' Bowman called an extension for Connor McDavid the 'No. 1 priority' this offseason — while being respectful to operate on his captain's timeline after a long season — so it's best to start with him. McDavid was a major talking point on Friday, and for good reason. He's about to enter the last year of his contract and is eligible to re-sign on July 1, although he's expected to wait until later in the summer to make his decision. Advertisement McDavid laid out the most important factor a day earlier that he's monitoring. 'If I feel that there's a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem,' he said Thursday. This is clearly a pivotal next 10-11 days for Bowman. He must transition the 2024-25 Oilers into the 2025-26 version — and make them better — all while trying to keep an eye on the future, so things don't go pear-shaped. It's about more than appeasing McDavid. It's about ensuring the Oilers are set up for sustained success once he's committed to staying for the long haul. 'The guys that drove the ship for us, they're all going to be part of this going forward. Adding to it is something we want to do.' That was the most declarative statement Bowman made to indicate he has no worries about McDavid re-signing with the team. That also applies to pending restricted free agent Evan Bouchard, who's due to receive a big pay increase on his $3.9 million cap hit. McDavid is right with Leon Draisaitl as the Oilers' best player. Bouchard might be third behind them. Any contract McDavid signs won't factor onto the team's salary cap until 2026-27, but Bouchard's next deal projects to take a huge bite out of their (not quite) $12 million in space, per PuckPedia. Assuming McDavid and Bouchard get locked up, there are two areas Bowman is focusing on more than others when it comes to the adding part. 'More likely, the forwards and the goalies are the ones we're going to evaluate the most deeply.' Of the defencemen that played in Tuesday's Game 6, four have contracts for next season: Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Jake Walman and Brett Kulak. Bouchard remains under team control as he awaits a new deal. Extras Troy Stecher and Ty Emberson are signed, too. Heck, even Josh Brown is. It's no wonder Bowman thinks his blue line is as set as can be. John Klingberg, the only unrestricted free agent, could be caught in a numbers game. Advertisement Among the forward ranks, Trent Frederic, Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Kasperi Kapanen, Jeff Skinner and Derek Ryan are free agents. All but Ryan were in the lineup Tuesday. However, Frederic is the only one who's all but assured of returning right now as he and the Oilers appear to be closing in on a long-term deal. A couple of others might join Frederic, but certainly not all of them. 'Up front, we need some different players,' Bowman said. The Oilers have just under $12 million in cap space without contracts for Bouchard or Frederic. They're going to have to clear money off the books. Evander Kane and Viktor Arvidsson are the prime candidates. Both have another year on their contracts at $5.125 million and $4 million, respectively. The former has a partial no-trade clause, and the latter has a full no-movement clause but was displeased to be scratched during the playoffs. Bowman indicated there could be an injection of 'youthful enthusiasm' — see Matt Savoie — to make up for some of the expected losses. And then there's goaltending. 'The reality of the world is, it's not like you go down to the corner and pick up an elite goalie. They're not just waiting for you to join your team, right? How many are there anyways in that group?' Bowman was pressed several times about the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. Is he and his staff seriously contemplating starting next season with the same two guys? Well, it's entirely possible. The cap constraints are real. The goaltending free agent market, consisting of basically Jake Allen, is an issue. So is having few enticing assets (prospects and draft picks) to dangle to any team willing to sell off a goaltender considered an upgrade on what the Oilers already have. Yup, they're in a pickle. Bowman made a point emphasizing that some of the supposed top goaltenders in the league had underwhelming playoffs. He noted how fickle the position can be. It was almost like he's bracing people for the possibility that Skinner and Pickard will be sharing the net come the fall. Advertisement There's some benefit to that. Both are inexpensive at $2.6 million and $1 million, respectively, for just one more year each. That's helpful when you're up against the cap. Then again, neither goaltender finished the regular season or playoffs with a save percentage over .900. It's not easy to win it all like that. 'It's really hard to predict where that's going to go,' Bowman said. 'Through the year, we felt that it wasn't running as well because we had some players that weren't as good at it as the year before. That's one area that we're looking at adjusting.' This came from Knoblauch while discussing the penalty kill, a facet of the Oilers' game that went from unbelievable during last year's playoffs to borderline disastrous on this run. The Oilers killed off 94.3 percent of opponents' power plays during the 2024 postseason, allowing just four goals against over 25 games. They even scored three times while short-handed. It was imperative to their success. This time, they managed to win 14 times this spring despite their PK work. They surrendered 23 goals in 22 games, thwarting opposing teams just 67.1 percent of the time. They failed to net a short-handed goal, either. There was considerable turnover from last year's PK to start this past season. Gone were regulars Vincent Desharnais, Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod. The same went for Philip Broberg, who got short-handed time late in the playoffs. Derek Ryan quickly lost his grip on a PK spot. Returnees up front were Brown, Mattias Janmark, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique — who got spot duty after being acquired via trade in March 2024. With Bowman planning to keep the defence corps intact, Knoblauch's comments put these forwards on notice. We all know Nugent-Hopkins isn't going anywhere. Henrique has another year on his contract at $3 million with a no-movement clause, though the Oilers need to clear salary. Brown can hit the open market on July 1, whereas Mattias Janmark has two more years on his $1.45 million deal with partial no-trade protection. It's hard to justify a spot on the roster for Brown or Janmark if they're not killing penalties. Knoblauch perhaps provided a hint into one or both of their futures with the team. (Top photo of Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
