Maurice gives nod to Winnipeg Jets before lifting Stanley Cup
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Published Jun 24, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 2 minute read
Former Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice ended 25 seasons of futility with the first Stanley Cup championship of his career on Monday – and gave a nod to one of his former teams in the process.
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Maurice’s Florida Panthers survived a furious series comeback by the Edmonton Oilers with a 2-1 home-ice win in Game 7 for the franchise’s first NHL championship in its 30-year history.
After the game, Maurice was asked about his chance arrival in Florida, which came after his decision to leave the Jets in the middle of the 2021-22 season.
“Just lucky,” he said. “If I could have one thing more, it would be for the Winnipeg Jets to win the next Stanley Cup.”
Maurice walked out on Winnipeg in his ninth season with the team, saying he’d taken it as far as he could, that players needed a new voice.
That off-season he took the job in Florida, guiding the Panthers to first place overall and the Stanley Cup final in his first season, but losing to Vegas in five games.
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His return to the final this year, for the third time in his career, nearly ended in another heartbreak, as the Panthers watched a 3-0 series lead evaporate, the Oilers forcing a seventh and deciding game.
But his team returned to a smothering brand of defensive hockey on Monday and prevailed over Connor McDavid and the high-flying Oilers.
“It’s brilliant,” is how Maurice began his post-game comments on national television. “It’s not what I thought it would be. It’s so much better. I’ve never hugged so many sweaty men in my entire life.”
While the result won’t sit well with many fans in Canada, Maurice singled out a few who will be ecstatic – his family.
“It’s for my mom and dad in Sault Ste. Marie,” he said. “The people who suffered through 30 years of me losing, making excuses. Mom and dad especially.”
Getting emotional, the 57-year-old mentioned other members of his family, before returning his focus on his father, Denis.
“Hey dad, your name’s going up with your heroes,” he said. “Beliveau, Richard, Howe, Lindsay, Maurice.”
Joining Maurice as Cup champs are former Jets assistant coach Jamie Kompon, who also assisted Maurice in Winnipeg, defenceman Dmitry Kulikov, who played three seasons with the Jets (2017-2020), and forward Kevin Stenlund, who played 54 games for the Jets last season.
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