It is incredibly difficult to become an NHL head coach and, as many have realized, it is even more difficult to remain one.
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice knows this well.
Maurice has been an NHL bench boss since November 1995, when the then-28-year-old was promoted to head coach of the Hartford Whalers when Paul Holmgren was fired.
Since then, he has coached almost exclusively in the NHL, from Hartford and the Carolina Hurricanes (1995-2003) to the Toronto Maples Leafs (2006-2008), back to Carolina (2008-2011) and then to the Winnipeg Jets (2014 -2021), with brief one-season stops with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL (2005-06) and the KHL Metalúrgico Magnitogorsk (2012-13).
To say he has coached through different styles and phases of the game would be an understatement.
Even in fair In the NHL, Maurice has seen the game evolve from the difficult times when he began coaching, to attempts to clean it up and increase scoring, to the integration of technology and now with a broader and deeper emphasis on player safety. players. recovery and longevity.
Considering he’s found success everywhere he’s gone, and on so many differently composed teams playing in different eras of the game, it’s only fitting that Maurice has been receiving his flowers lately.
Sure, it probably wouldn’t be happening like this if it weren’t for the Stanley Cup success he’s had in recent years, but that’s all part of the journey.
As it currently stands, Maurice has coached 1,884 NHL games. Only the legendary Scotty Bowman has trained more: 2,141.
If Maurice, who just signed a new contract extension with the Panthers in October, remains behind the bench for three more seasons, he will surpass Bowman for most games coached of all time.
Maurice is only 57 years old (he will turn 58 in January).
So how far can you go?
2,500 matches directed? How about 3,000?!
Considering the skills he possesses as a hockey intellectual and as a leader and motivator of men, it may be up to Maurice how much longer he will coach in the NHL.
Remember, he resigned from his head coaching position in Winnipeg and wasn’t sure what the future held.
The opportunity to lead the Panthers was such a unique and surprising prospect that it forced him to return to coaching much sooner than many, including Maurice himself, thought would happen.
Currently, things are as good as they can be.
Always known as a great outgoing media personality, Maurice has taken that personality to the next level since joining the Panthers.
His comfort level in South Florida has been as evident as the success he has found there.
Maurice is loved by his players and coaching staff. He has the full confidence of the board.
The Panthers’ roster is built for success for the foreseeable future, with key elite players committed to long-term deals.
No one has a crystal ball to tell us what the future holds for Maurice, but there is a path that could lead him to NHL coaching immortality.
For now, however, Maurice seems quite content to take things as they come and enjoy the ride.
Can you blame him? He has certainly earned his place.
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