Best Friends DeBoer, Maurice Could Meet in Stanley Cup Final

SUNRISE — A lot still has to happen for this to transpire, but if the stars align, two best friends could be coaching against one another in the Stanley Cup Final starting on Saturday night.

Florida’s Paul Maurice has already punched his ticket to the Cup Final but his longtime friend Pete DeBoer still has some work to do.

DeBoer, who just happened to coach the Panthers from 2008-11, has his Dallas Stars team two wins away from the Cup Final after falling behind 3-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals.

Dallas plays host to the Knights tonight in Game 6 down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series.

Maurice will not say he is rooting for his friend to make it because he knows fate has its own way of playing things out.

If it is meant to be, it will be.

But it is probably safe to say when Maurice is watching the Stars and Knights, he is rooting for his friend — as all of us would be.

“We played junior together, were roommates together, we coached together, stood in each others’ weddings,” Maurice said Sunday morning at FLA Live Arena.

”He is a very great man.”