George Richards, FHN Publisher
It can be argued there is not a more popular coach in South Florida right now than Paul Maurice.
Yes, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat may have a say in this argument.
If the Dolphins and Hurricanes get going, the popularity of Mike McDaniel and Mario Cristobal will soar.
And what a job Marlins manager Clayton McCullough is doing, eh?
That said, Paul Maurice can do no wrong in South Florida right now.
Of course, he is up in the hinterlands at his summer place on Lake of the Woods in northern Ontario fishing like summer is rapidly coming to a close.
So, he literally can do no wrong in South Florida right now.
Winning, and winning big, has led to Maurice’s standing among coaches not only in his market but throughout sports.
Fans love his personality, his candor, his stories, how he can make even a very complex part of the game easy to digest.
They also love his profound way of bringing levity to situations with a dollop of profanity.
But winning trumps all — and no one has won like Maurice has over the past few years.
Only there was a time, and it was not all that long ago, that many fans of the Florida Panthers would have chipped in to send Maurice fishing as long as that meant he was not coaching their team any more.
With the Panthers winning the Stanley Cup for a second straight year, Maurice joined Don Shula and Spoelstra as the only South Florida coaches to win back-to-back championships.
Maurice and the Panthers will attempt to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three straight years since the 1982 New York Islanders — and the first South Florida team to ever three-peat.
Former Heat coach and current team president Pat Riley owns numerous trademarks involving the three-peat (including 3-peat) that he started gathering when he was coach of the Lakers and his team had the chance to win three straight titles.
He does not keep the money from licensing it, telling Tim Reynolds of the AP that he and his wife donate the money to various charitable endeavors.
The Panthers and NHL will likely be reaching out to Riley if they get close to winning the Cup for a third time.
That kind of success will make you a popular fellow.
Of course, it was not always this way.
It took fans in South Florida a little time to warm up to their new coach after Bill Zito replaced Andrew Brunette following the end of the team’s record-setting 2021-22 season.
The Panthers set all sorts of franchise record, most of it coming with Brunette behind the bench as Florida’s interim coach following the forced resignation of Joel Quenneville.
Florida won the NHL Presidents’ Trophy for the first time with a fantastic 122-point regular season.
Only the Panthers snuck out of the first round against Washington and were completely dominated in a second-round sweep by the Lightning.
Zito decided the Panthers needed a chance in their style of play, and Maurice had enough cache after 25 years in the NHL to stand firm in making that change.
Things got off to a shaky start, which Maurice appeared prepared for on the day he was hired.
“This was a 122-point team so people are going to expect 123 points and five more goals next year,’’ Maurice told FHN in 2022. “That’s a part of the reason that I’m here to understand that we have to get in front of it if things get a little rocky and the challenges get a little tough.”
The Panthers, a dominant machine during the 2021-22 season, struggled out of the gate due in part to adjusting to a new style, but also injuries and illness which cost Sasha Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Anthony Duclair big chunks of time.
When the Panthers lost to the New York Rangers 5-3 on New Year’s Day in Sunrise to drop to 16-18-4, fans had reached a breaking point.
Chants of ‘Fire Maurice!’ had been getting louder and louder.
The Panthers had gone from first in the Atlantic to seventh in the eight-team division and led the last-place Canadiens by only three points. Florida was eight points out of the final wild card spot.
Maurice would not say so, but he heard the chants.
He kept the faith.
“What intrigued me most about this situation is the exact situation we are in now,’’ Maurice said before Christmas that year.
“Zito was very open that there was going to be some adversity this year. There was going to be some change and it was going to be hard. That was a big part of the appeal. Can you ride that, can you get through the tough time? …
“It has been what I thought it would be and I am quietly excited about where it is going to go. …
“But this room is far better than I even anticipated it being. They are good bunch of guys. They are staying in the fight, treat each other really well, are committed to each other and to Florida.
“This program is miles ahead of where it was three or four years ago. They love playing hockey here. It is hockey first. This is a hockey market. They’re into it. It’s a little bit tough right now and I understand it. And I enjoy the challenge of it.”
The Panthers started to get right just before the All-Star break.
By the trade deadline, the Panthers had picked up some ground.
With 17 games left and rumors swirling the Panthers would be sellers, Zito kept the team intact.
Not only did Zito believe in the players he had, but he believed in his coach.
That belief, obviously, was rewarded.
The Panthers got hot in the final weeks of the 2022-23 season and won six straight with backup goalie Alex Lyon carrying the load.
Florida edged out Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot and, well, the rest is history.
The Panthers upset Brad Marchand and the Bruins, the NHL’s top team, in Round 1 before dispatching Toronto and Carolina en route to the Stanley Cup Final.
Florida lost to Vegas in the Final that year, but since has won eight straight playoff series and are the defending back-to-back champions.
In his three years as coach of the Panthers, Maurice’s team has been to the Stanley Cup Final in all of them, winning 11 of 12 playoff series.
In 2023, Bill Zito all but called it.
“When we interviewed Paul, you could tell he was the right fit for this group,’’ Zito said at the trade deadline.
“He is. He is teaching, and the individuals are improving. It is coming. I take no solace in knowing we would like to be higher up and be in a better place. But it is coming. He is implementing the systems that need to be implemented because the real goal is winning the Stanley Cup.’’
“I am so pleased with Paul on so many different levels. I believe he is the man to lead us to the Cup.”
No one is booing Paul Maurice anymore.
At least not in South Florida.
And, Maurice should be coach of the Panthers for a long time to come.
Last October, he and the Panthers agreed to a five-year contract extension.
After three years, he is now the winningest coach in franchise history with 141 wins.
Maurice’s 45 playoff wins dwarfs those of predecessors Doug MacLean (13), Brunette (four), and Kevin Dineen (three).
More wins are coming.
Perhaps a lot more.
“We are not at the tail-end of a five, six-year run,’’ Maurice said at the trade deadline in 2023.
“We are at the start of it. Our dominant players are still young.’’