“Paul Maurice Finds New Love for Hockey with Florida Panthers”

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t sure he would return behind the bench for a National Hockey League team after he resigned as Jets head coach Winnipeg in December 2021. However, things have visibly improved as his team is currently up 2-0 in the second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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When he resigned from his job as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets on December 17, 2021, Paul Maurice mentioned that he had accumulated a lot of fatigue and that he no longer had the flame of hockey.

“That may be too simplistic an answer, I had lost my love of hockey and it was affecting me and I have found it again,” said the 56-year-old, whose words were quoted on the NHL.com website.

In June 2022, Maurice was heading to his cabin, which is located in northern Ontario, to practice his favorite activity, fishing, and he received a call from the general manager of the Panthers, Bill Zito, who told him offered the position with the Florida team.

“Two teams contacted me between when I retired and when I took a step back. 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 the Florida Panthers interested me.

He never regretted accepting the position with the Panthers, despite a regular season that was not 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 have been through. But at the same time, I had a lot of fun,” said the main interested party.

A new system and membership

The man who ranks sixth in coaching victories in NHL history brought a new system of play and the key players at the Panthers quickly adopted it, much to Maurice’s delight.

“There is a membership, of course, but I have a group of players here who can play that way and that hard, and that’s what they do. So we have enough players who can do that. It’s just a natural progression of strong teams,” said Paul Maurice.