Panthers’ Paul Maurice becomes fourth head coach to reach 900 career wins
Paul Maurice continues to climb the ranks.
In defeating the Chicago Blackhawks by a 5-1 score Saturday, the Florida Panthers secured their 31st win of the season, while their head coach picked up the 900th victory of his career.
With the feat, Maurice becomes only the fourth head coach in NHL history to reach the 900-win plateau, joining Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), and Barry Trotz (914).
Now in his third season with the Panthers, Maurice’s past two campaigns have been underscored by back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final including the Panthers’ first-ever championship coming last spring following a seven-game defeat of the Edmonton Oilers.
In all, Maurice has spent 27 seasons behind the bench, beginning as a 28-year-old with the former Hartford Whalers in 1995-96. Maurice then followed the franchise to Raleigh, N.C., in 1997 when it became the Carolina Hurricanes. In 2002, Maurice led the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in five games. Maurice later coached the Toronto Maple Leafs for a pair of seasons, guided the Winnipeg Jets for nine campaigns, and saw a second tour with the Hurricanes from 2008-12.
A graduate of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, Maurice was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 12th round of the 1985 NHL Draft. However, an eye injury ultimately ended Maurice’s playing career and he became the assistant coach of the Spitfires in 1988-89. Six years later, as head coach, Maurice led the former Detroit Junior Red Wings to the OHL championship.
For the Panthers, following Saturday’s victory over the Blackhawks, the club improved to 31-19-3 on the season to sit atop the Atlantic Division with 65 points. Now riding a two-game win streak, the Panthers will try for their third-straight victory when the club retakes the ice Sunday against the New York Islanders.