Paul Maurice was hired as coach of the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
The 55-year-old was 315-223-62 in 600 games with the Winnipeg Jets, including 13-10-5 this season before resigning as coach on Dec. 17 after nine seasons, saying “They need a new voice.”
The Jets had qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the previous four seasons under Maurice. When he resigned, Maurice said he was unsure if he would coach again.
“The only way I would step back again is if I felt like I’d be even better than I was before, and that’s not today,” he said.
Maurice replaces Andrew Brunette, who went 51-18-6 for the Panthers following a 7-0-0 start in the regular season after he replaced Joel Quenneville on Oct. 29. Quenneville resigned after being implicated during an independent investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks for allegations of sexual assault of former player Kyle Beach by then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.
Brunette was runner-up for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year; Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames won the award.
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The Panthers (58-18-6) had their best record in team history and finished with 122 points, winning the Presidents’ Trophy given to the team with the best regular-season record. But they were swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the playoffs, scoring three goals in four games, after leading the NHL in goals per game during the regular season (4.11).
“At the completion of our season, we began an in-depth examination of all aspects of our team. After taking the appropriate amount of time for analysis, we determined that we needed the perfect fit to continue with the growth of our players and stay on the path for our franchise goals,” Florida general manager Bill Zito said. “Paul’s experience and intellect were just what we were looking for and we are thrilled for him to step into the role of head coach.”
Maurice is seventh in NHL history with 775 wins and fourth in games coached with 1,684 behind Scotty Bowman, Barry Trotz (1,812) and Joel Quenneville (1,768). He is 775-680-130 with 99 ties with the Jets, Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs.
He is 41-51 in 92 playoff games, including coaching the Hurricanes in the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in five games to the Detroit Red Wings.
Maurice is the fifth coach to be hired since the conclusion of the regular season. Lane Lambert was hired by the New York Islanders on May 16, Bruce Cassidy replaced Peter DeBoer as coach of the Vegas Golden Knights on June 17, John Tortorella was hired by the Philadelphia Flyers on June 17, and DeBoer was hired by the Dallas Stars on June 21.
The Jets, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks each are in the midst of a coaching search
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