Amid turmoil within Team Finland, a new report suggests that players wanted Florida Panthers’ Paul Maurice to coach their Olympic team.
A new report has surfaced linking Team Finland to Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice.
According to Ilta-Sanomat, an unnamed player approached Team Finland GM Jere Lehtinen to ask whether the team could replace coach Antti Pennanen with Maurice. There has been reported turmoil between the Finnish players and Pennanen after their 4 Nations Face-Off last-place finish.
It’s not surprising to see Finland have interest in Maurice, as he has coached the Panthers to consecutive Stanley Cups and three Stanley Cup finals. Additionally, Finland’s roster features three Panthers players: Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Niko Mikkola. It would also include Aleksander Barkov, the captain of the National Team, if he hadn’t suffered an injury before the season began.
Maurice’s Panthers staff also includes Tuomo Ruutu, one of the Lions’ assistant coaches at the Olympics.
Although Maurice is Canadian, Olympic hockey coaches aren’t restricted by nationality.
Multiple members in the Finnish Ice Hockey Association were aware of the idea, but the job was never formally proposed to Maurice, and there was no negotiation with him, according to Hoffren’s reporting.
Lehtinen confirmed to Hoffren in Milan that he was aware of the Maurice proposal.
“I don’t really have anything to say about it,” Lehtinen said in Finnish. “Well, of course we have our own team here and it would be a different matter if there was something concrete. I don’t have anything more to say about that, since there hasn’t been anything concrete.”
This information has become public following Finland’s 4-1 victory over longtime rivals Sweden. Following the game, Pennanen was asked about the report and stated he was unaware of it.
Antti Pennanen (Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images)Mikko Rantanen, one of the key figures on Finland’s roster, was asked about the news as well, but he told reporters that he had no knowledge about this.
“Never heard that. I didn’t read any media before the game,” Rantanen said, following the victory.
“I think (Pennanen) is good. He gives us freedom to play offense, and he has some details he wants from us defensively. And I think today we played really good structure; he has a good structure. And if we play the way he wants, and defend well, he’s fun to play for. He’s a really good coach.”
In Luke Fox’s article for Sportsnet, he mentioned that they have requested to speak to Maurice and the Finnish Hockey Association, but have yet to hear back.
For now, Maurice will remain only as the Panthers coach.
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