That being said, hockey fans in San Jose will indeed see Maurice behind the bench for the Central Division All-Stars on January 26th, as the NHL announced Saturday the four coaches for the All-Star game.
"For the coach to go it really truly is a representation of all the things and all the work that is done away from the players," said Maurice.
"The players are the reason that I'm going for sure. But the coaching staff, the medical staff, the equipment staff, our managers, our owners are responsible for a chunk of that game that I represent. To be honest, I'll be honoured to represent all of them. To say this team at the halfway mark was in first place there's an awful lot of behind the scenes work that goes into it."
While Maurice was modest about being selected, his players were happy to praise their coach - especially those who have been with him since his arrival in Winnipeg in 2014.
"We all knew we had a good team in here but I think he brings out the best in us," said Bryan Little.
"He pushes us to be better every day and be good pros and he's really good with young players as well. He's good at communicating with them, helping them develop. So I think he's been a big part of this team's success."
This will be Maurice's second appearance at an All-Star game. The Sault Ste. Marie product was part of the Eastern Conference coaching staff in 1997 when the game was in - you guessed it - San Jose.
"The game has changed an awful lot since then. I think we won 11-7, a defensive grinder," joked Maurice.
"The front row of that team picture has Gretzky, Messier and Lemieux in it. That's how much has changed since then. I think they go, they have a lot of fun and they put on a good show. I'll try and pick a nice suit and stand in the right spot."
