Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice is a popular guy in Winnipeg.
Maurice coached the Winnipeg Jets for nine years, from 2013 until 2021-22 season.
He joined the Panthers during the summer of 2022, after leaving Winnipeg and stepping away from hockey, unsure of his future in the game.
The fit between Maurice and the Panthers has been apparent from the beginning.
Still, the veteran coach has not forgotten his former team and the blood, sweat and tears he poured into them.
It was clear that Maurice still had quite a bit of love for the Jets franchise when he gave them the ultimate shout out in the moments after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
After leading the Panthers to their first championship back in June, Maurice famously said, while standing on the ice at Amerant Bank Arena mid-celebration, “If I could have one thing more, it’d be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup.”
Well now here we are, nearly a quarter through the new NHL season, and who is sitting atop the league standings?
Why, it’s the Winnipeg Jets!
Clearly the blessing from Maurice has had an incredible impact, as the Jets have reeled off victories in 15 of their 18 games so far this season, with the most recent loss coming at the hands of Maurice and the Panthers on Saturday night in Sunrise.
Speaking on Monday before they left South Florida for Manitoba, Maurice reflected on the amazing people and overall hockey community that made Winnipeg what it was.
“It’s all the people, and it’s the connection to the sport and the game, and having had really good teams, even not in the National Hockey League, in the World Hockey Association, some really important players come through there too, so there’s a bond there,” Maurice said. “It probably has to lead the league in outdoor rinks, I would think. It’s a real thing, right? It’s that connected to the game. And then to have a team and to lose a team and get their team back, there’s an understanding of how special it is to have an NHL team in your town. So there’s a connection to the game there that I think it is cultural, but it’s also geographic. A lot of people spend a lot of time outdoors playing hockey up there, and you can, right? You’re pretty sure you can build a rink every year.”
For someone who grew up with the game of hockey and has dedicated his life to the sport, it’s clear Maurice genuinely appreciated his time in Winnipeg.
Between the fans, the city and the team’s history, he felt the importance of hockey while he was there.
It’s not lost on Maurice how special and important it is for the current Winnipeg Jets to have the same name and colors as the original NHL team.
For so many people up there, attending and watching those games was like a religious experience.
“I think you meet a lot of people up there that remember those games, that went to those games,” Maurice said. “My first year, we played in the (Winnipeg Arena) with the big picture of the Queen at the end. There are a lot of people that it’s generational, right? It’s the grandfather went to the games, and now the great grandson is going to the games, so that connection was pretty important. Love the crest, right? It’s just a great story of the roots of hockey in Canada.”
As for his return to Winnipeg, Maurice isn’t expecting anything special.
This will be his third time there as Panthers head coach, and while its first time as a Stanley Cup winner, he isn’t looking for any special treatment.
At least not from the fans.
“I don’t know, maybe just you’re humbled and would kind of like to do it quietly if you could,” Maurice said. “It’s different the third time you’re going back. Now I’m excited to see my daughter, so that’s what I’m looking forward to on this trip.”
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