Florida Panthers Roundtable
Paul Maurice moves into third place on NHL's all-time games coached list
Maurice coached his 1,769th NHL game on Monday night in New Jersey
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports - Paul Maurice moves into third place on NHL's all-time games coached listFlorida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice moved into some rare air on Monday night in New Jersey.
When the puck dropped on the Panthers battle with the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center, it became the 1,769th NHL game that Maurice has been behind the bench for.
That placed Maurice sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time games coached list, moving him one game ahead of former Florida Head Coach Joel Quenneville.
Maurice still has a ways to go before he catches Scotty Bowman, whose 2,141 games coached are the most in league history, but barring any unexpected changes, he’ll move past Barry Trotz into second place later this season.
Trotz coached 1,812 games in the NHL before moving to the Nashville Predators front office earlier this year.
Looking at the Panthers schedule, that means Maurice should coach his 1,813th game on Wednesday, Jan. 24 when Florida hosts the Arizona Coyotes at Amerant Bank Arena.
The 56-year-old Maurice has been coaching in the NHL since 1995, when he broke into the league with the Hartford Whalers.
He spoke before coaching his 1,768th game in Winnipeg on Saturday about what he’s learned from his first game until now.
“I think I found different ways to love the game and the people in it,” Maurice said. “You learn how to love the game differently over time. The game has changed so drastically – (there used to be) guys like Kevin Sawyer in the lineup on the other team, some heaviness in the lineup – the toughness has probably given way to speed.”
Indeed, the game has changed quite a bit since the mid-90s.
To Maurice’s credit, he’s evolved right along with the players and coaching styles.
Entering Monday’s game in New Jersey, Maurice has 817 career wins as a head coach, which puts him at sixth all-time.
Next on the list, ironically enough, is Devils head coach (and former Panthers assistant coach) Lindy Ruff.
Maurice is 18 wins behind Ruff, and with both men coaching teams considered among the Eastern Conference’s Cup contenders, it may not be easy for Mo to close that gap.
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