FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Paul Maurice retains the day-to-day routine easy. Present up for work early and have copious quantities of espresso. Belief assistant coaches to do their jobs. Sit in on conferences when wanted. Hammer house a constant message with gamers. Swear a bit bit typically, swear profusely at different instances.
Hey, it really works.
Commercial
Within the Stanley Cup Remaining for a 3rd consecutive season with the Panthers, Maurice’s fashion — laugh-out-loud humorous at instances, extremely good and severe at others — continues to ship outcomes for Florida. He was 41-51 in his playoff profession earlier than coming to Florida; he is 41-21 in his playoff profession with Florida. A training lifer, he already was well-respected throughout the recreation earlier than the Panthers introduced him aboard, however he by no means had something near a run like this till now.
“I’m not being disrespectful to the opposite groups I’ve coached,” Maurice mentioned. “The crew right here, that is the very best crew I’ve ever coached. It’s not likely that shut.”
Winners of the Stanley Cup final season, the Panthers will strive for back-to-back titles beginning Wednesday evening after they go to Edmonton for Recreation 1 of a rematch. Florida beat the Oilers final 12 months in seven video games for Maurice’s first Cup in a 30-year profession.
“Oh, I am going to by no means get uninterested in listening to that,” Maurice mentioned.
Commercial
It is a hilarious recreation of tug-of-war that Maurice and the Panthers gamers are engaged in as of late. Gamers do not need to be showered in reward for making a 3rd consecutive Cup last; the coach insists that it is all about them and that he simply pushes just a few buttons right here and there.
The reality is that there is greater than sufficient credit score to go round.
“He retains issues mild, however he expects us to work our hardest and he is very ready and — I do know I’ve mentioned this earlier than — he can get you up for a Tuesday evening recreation in opposition to Columbus or no matter in the course of the 12 months and it looks like a playoff recreation,” ahead Matthew Tkachuk mentioned. “His speeches and his capacity to get us to run by a wall every recreation is an enormous present.”
The speeches aren’t filibusters, nonetheless. Maurice thinks it is critically essential to have the power to enter the locker room, say precisely what must be mentioned and depart with out saying something extra or something much less. He is not afraid to inform his gamers that they are enjoying poorly. He is not afraid to inform his gamers that he loves them, both.
Commercial
He is additionally not afraid to make himself the butt of the joke. Florida was a 122-point, President’s Trophy-winning crew the season earlier than Maurice arrived. The Panthers managed 92 factors in Yr 1 of his period.
“Teaching,” he quipped. The 30-point drop was largely to the adjustment made by a stylistic change, and that change led them to the Cup last, however Maurice by no means misses an opportunity to make enjoyable of how he turned a 122-point membership right into a 92-point membership in a single day.
Panthers defenseman Seth Jones got here to Florida across the commerce deadline this season. He had quite a lot of studying to do — new methods, new expectations, new teammates, all of that. He additionally needed to learn to get coached in another way, which he rapidly realized wasn’t a foul factor.
“It’s totally different than what I’ve had,” Jones mentioned of Maurice’s fashion. “I feel he is aware of find out how to actually take the temperature of the group and the scenario of the group. And he can have a gathering the place he’s very intense, calling guys out or calling the crew out. However he’s additionally excellent at throwing a joke in there, throwing a humorous clip in there after we’re doing video. He is very good. I feel he understands what the crew wants at any given time. I don’t assume he will get too excessive or too low based mostly on sure conditions.”
Commercial
That, the Panthers have discovered, is essential.
Take into account how the title collection went final season. The Panthers gained the primary three video games and have been on the point of the Cup. Then they misplaced Recreation 4. And Recreation 5. And Recreation 6. The brink of the Cup grew to become the brink of a collapse, actual quick.
Maurice began speaking to his gamers about freedom and enjoying with that feeling. Recreation 7 was flawless. The Panthers gained, and on the parade a couple of week later, Maurice ended his rain-soaked, extremely profane remarks by throwing his arms into the air and yelling “Freedom!” on the prime of his lungs to his crew.
“He will get the buy-in from the gamers and he treats all of us the identical, which I feel is absolutely essential as a coach and to not deal with guys in another way,” Tkachuk mentioned. “He expects us all to work exhausting and deal with one another with respect and every thing, however he treats us all the very same. He’s been an awesome coach and we’re tremendous fortunate to have him right here.”
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
About The Author
