Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice was unsure about returning behind the bench for a National Hockey League team after stepping down as Jets head coach Winnipeg in December 2021. However, things have visibly improved as his team is currently 2-0 up in the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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When he resigned from his job as the Winnipeg Jets head coach on December 17, 2021, Paul Maurice mentioned that he had accumulated a lot of fatigue and no longer had the flame of hockey.
“Maybe that’s too easy an answer. I had lost my love for hockey and it affected me and I found it again,” said the 56-year-old, whose words were quoted by the NHL.com website.
In June 2022, Maurice was on his way to his cabin in northern Ontario to pursue his favorite pastime, fishing, and he received a call from Panthers general manager Bill Zito, telling him he was being offered the position in Florida- Team.
“Two teams contacted me between my retirement and my retirement. It was easy for me. I saw no point in it. That’s when Bill Zito called me. He said to me: “I just want to know what interests you”. I replied that I was interested in the Florida Panthers.
He has never regretted accepting the job with the Panthers, despite a regular season that hasn’t been easy for the Florida team.
The Panthers finished the campaign with a 42-32-8 record and were the last team to qualify for the playoffs.
“This year has been difficult because of everything we’ve been through. At the same time, I had a lot of fun,” says the main prospect.
A new system and membership
The man, ranked sixth in coaching wins in NHL history, brought a new system of play, and the Panthers’ key players quickly adopted it, much to Maurice’s delight.
“Of course there is a membership, but I have a group of players here who can play so and so hard and they do. So we have enough players who can do that. It’s just a natural progression of strong teams,” said Paul Maurice.