Paul Maurice charms his audience.

• Paul Maurice made a big impression on Olli Jokinen and Ari Ahone
• The Canadian coach’s great strength is his player orientation
• The Florida Panthers are close to becoming an NHL dynasty club under Maurice’s teachings

Paul Maurice, 58, who led the Florida Panthers to their third consecutive Stanley Cup finals, is a more interesting and entertaining figure than average in front of the media.

Last week, the Canadian surprised his listeners when describing his team.

– Have you ever dipped a beer in the first place? Have you been to church? Would you dip a beer in the first place in church?

Maurice received a negative response from the reporter.

– It doesn’t make you a hypocrite. Everything has its place and context. I swear to you that these men are honest, everything is genuine.

He tried to explain how Matthew Tkatchuk and Sam Bennett, who commit reckless antics on the ice, are great people off the ice.

The Panthers’ leader, on the other hand, is Aleksander Barkov, who is honest and respected even by his opponents.

– Sometimes you say a prayer, sometimes you grab a beer. That reflects our team.

Last week, Maurice also commented on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s defensive work, describing the last two setbacks in the 0–3 loss as “horse shit.”

The goals in question were scored by the Carolina Hurricanes on empty-handed goals after Bobrovski was pulled from his goal.

Not for mind games

The answers reflect Maurice’s media appearances, which range from humor to a more reflective approach. The man rarely settles for the most cautious and clichéd statements.

The Canadian has the ability to captivate his audience even in the locker room, confirms Ari Ahonen, who played under Maurice at Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2012–13 season.

– A player-oriented and demanding but honest coach. Didn’t play any mind games. Did as he said, Ahonen describes.

mind games

The carrot and stick ratio is important, but especially the way things are presented to professionals.

Maurice’s output is such that the message gets across.

– It’s one part of selling your own ideology and playing style, Ahonen sees.

– Getting players on the same page is usually the difference between a successful team and an unsuccessful one.

According to Ahonen, Maurice came to the KHL as himself, and did not set out to erase his human side, which is traditionally frowned upon in Russia.

– Paul didn’t have to lead with fear, but with his own style. Even though there was no success that year, I believe it took the players a lot forward, says the former goalkeeper, who currently coaches JYP’s juniors.

One of them was Mats Zuccarello, who was looking for a place in the NHL. After returning to the NHL, the Norwegian was the leading scorer for the New York Rangers, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The season of Magnitogorsk, starring Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, ended in the first round of the playoffs.

Insight

After the Russian season, Maurice got a job with the Winnipeg Jets, where he became Olli Jokinen’s coach.

Luotsi already had a long career in the NHL, but it was only his experiences in Magnitogorsk that opened his eyes to what player-centricity really means.

– There he had to communicate with the players through an interpreter and was unable to make human contact. He started to think that basically 99 percent of players don’t play where they grew up and where they have a support network, Jokinen says of Maurice’s insight.

– Everything affects the game, even the smallest nuances. If you’re having a hard time at home, ten games can go by quickly. And even that could have been handled quickly by talking and only one game would have passed.

The interest in the player’s overall well-being was very far from what Jokinen had experienced under, for example, Mike Keenan and Darryl Sutter.

One day, Maurice surprised his Finnish veteran and asked him how his wife was.

– I was a bit like, what kind of question is that? Then he said, tell me honestly how your wife and children are doing. I quickly felt good that this is a completely human guy.

Maurice is also characterized by situational comedy.

– He can throw those one-liners out of a revolver, so to speak. He can drop a half-joke at the right time. A verbally gifted guy, but a good person.

one-liners

Clear boundaries

Maurice, who hails from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, wouldn’t have risen to be behind Scotty Bowman on the all-time list simply by being a nice beer buddy.

A man’s toughness is shown by his ability to draw clear boundaries for his actions.

The team’s lack of focus is reflected in playing time, whether it’s a rookie or a star player.

– Everyone knows it. Then you don’t play, Jokinen says of the rules that apply to every member of the team.

– He won’t shout at you outright. He may raise his voice, but he’s very much talking based on values.

All elements related to effort and putting oneself in the game are essential in Maurice’s books. Exploitation, tackling, blocking…

– If they are not brought, it can be heard, seen and experienced.

Crown

Ahonen and Maurice’s collaboration only lasted a year, but the Finn is still happy to follow the coach’s success in the NHL.

The Stanley Cup won a year ago with the Florida Panthers was the first of his career for the man who became head coach in the NHL in 1995.

– It was great that he got a great crown last year for his long career. It looks like he will be able to compete for it this year as well, Ahonen said while the conference finals were in progress.

Jokinen was also coached by Maurice for only one season, but the impression was indelible. Not least because the Canuck dared to suggest to OJ at the end of the season meeting that he end his playing career and become a coach.

Jokinen, who will begin his fifth season as a professional coach next fall, will cherish the guidelines of his former mentor in his own work.

– The better you know a player and the closer you are to him, the more you can demand from him.

PAUL MAURICE

Family: wife and three children

Current team: Florida Panthers (3rd season)

Previous clubs: Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets

Games in the NHL: regular season 1930, playoffs 154

Stanley Cups: 1 (2023–24)