SUNRISE — On Tuesday night, the Florida Panthers played the Seattle Kraken in a game that marked a special milestone and achievement for coach Paul Maurice.
Maurice, now in his fourth season with the Panthers, joined Scotty Bowman as just the second to coach 2,000 NHL games.
Bowman coached in 2,141 games and is the NHL’s all-time leader with 1,244 wins. Maurice is third all-time with 951 victories.
During the first commercial break — one that took almost 16 minutes to finally reach — the Panthers recognized the achievement by playing a video on the scoreboard which highlighted his time with the team.
Maurice joked that he hoped the period would go by without any stoppages so they could just go about their business.
“I was hoping we could run that thing right to the intermission,” he said with a smile. “Then, we could just say ‘hey, sorry coach.’ That was very nice, very appreciated.”
Maurice led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final in each of his first three years here, winning the championship in the past two.
Speaking after Florida’s 5-4 shootout win against the Kraken, Maurice reflected a bit on what it has been like to be a part of the Panthers and his strong appreciation toward the organization.
“This place has been great. The fans have been great here,” he said. “I really appreciate the acknowledgement from the Florida Panthers and the fans. I truly appreciate that.”
When Maurice arrived for work on Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale, the Panthers surprised him with a tribute video that interviewed many from his past and present.
“Appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Hopefully I can see you around soon,’’ said Nate Schmidt, who played briefly for Maurice in Winnipeg and won the Cup with the Panthers last year. “Champs forever. Cheers.’’
Said Kyle Okposo: “Incredible accomplishment. What a career you have had. I am so happy that our paths crossed. … You are one of the best to ever do it, one of the best coaches of all time. You should take a ton of pride in that.’’
During Tuesday’s game, the Panthers posted a cleaned-up version of the video on their social media accounts.
There were plenty of people the Panthers could have reached out to.
After all, Maurice started his NHL coaching career with the Hartford Whalers in 1995 then led them in their move to North Carolina where they became the Hurricanes.
Maurice coached the Whalers/Hurricanes from 1995-2003 before coming back and coaching them from 2008-11. He also coached the Toronto Maple Leafs (2006-08), and Winnipeg Jets (2014-21) before signing on with the Panthers in the summer of 2022.
He also coached the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, and Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL.
When Maurice started his NHL coaching career, he was just 28, making him the second-youngest coach in NHL history.
Jim Rutherford was Hartford’s GM at the time and had brought Maurice with him up from the juniors.
Maurice has called Rutherford one of the most important people in his hockey life.
Now president of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks, Rutherford was part of the tribute video as well.
“Congratulations Paul. You have come a long way from that first game you coached in Hartford when I asked you to start coaching in your mid-20s,” Rutherford said in the video. “It’s been a long road for you, you are highly respected by the players who have played for you, by the people who work with you, and you have had great success now winning two Stanley Cups and coaching 2,000 games.
“As a friend, and on behalf of all the people you have touched in the game of hockey, I want to say thank you. And we are very proud of you.”
On Tuesday, Maurice was asked if there was any particular message that touched him most from the video.
“There’s two guys at the very start of my NHL career,’’ Maurice said. “One was Jim Rutherford, and I got to spend an hour with him when we were in Vancouver and that was wonderful.”
Paul Holmgren was also part of the video and he spoke about the start of Maurice’s coaching career, and the success that he has achieved throughout the years.
Holmgren coached the Philadelphia Flyers from 1988-91 before being hired by the Whalers in 1992.
“What a journey it has been since that time,’’ Holmgren said. “What a ride for you, Paul. I’m so happy for you, so proud of you.’’
Maurice joined Holmgren’s staff in 1995 and, after a 5-6-1 start to their season, the Whalers made a change — firing Holmgren and replacing him with the 28-year-old who had been an NHL assistant for all of a couple of months.
“Paul was really good to me,’’ Maurice said. “He’s the guy that was probably the tipping point because I turned the job down three times because I knew I wasn’t ready. I ran into him in the underground parking lot. He was an intimidating man. …
“He was the guy that said ‘Hey kid, if they give you the job, take it because you never know if you’re going to get another chance.’ And then I went upstairs and took the job.”
Besides Rutherford and Holmgren, Maurice also reflected on some of the messages the players gave out, including some memories that were impactful.
He then talked about the message his long-time friend and former teammate, Pete DeBoer, gave.
Maurice, while coaching the Detroit Jr. Red Wings talked his former teammate into helping out as an assistant coach. DeBoer was reluctant since he was going to law school at the time.
DeBoer ended up joining his pal Maurice and the rest is history.
“Lousy roommate, lousy landlord. That’s what I thought he said,’’ Maurice said, recalling DeBoer’s message.
“And he was right. I was both.”
ON DECK: GAME No. 71
MINNESOTA WILD at FLORIDA PANTHERS
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
National TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+
Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
Last Season: Tied 1-1
This Season (Panthers Lead 1-0) — At Minnesota: Panthers 4, Wild 3 OT (Jan. 24). At Florida: March 26.
All-time Regular Season Series: Minnesota leads 21-11-3, 1 tie
Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday at New York Islanders, 1 p.m.
