Maurice used right mix of humor, sincerity to coach Panthers back to Cup Final

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Paul Maurice sensed something was different about the Florida Panthers at the start of this season.

"Last year, we had a really funny team, I thought," the Panthers coach said last week. "Or at least, they thought I was funny, which I appreciated. … These guys are a little more serious."

That seriousness was a sign of the businesslike approach the Panthers would take to their mission of returning to the Stanley Cup Final after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights last season. It was also reflected in their more subdued celebration after they punched their return ticket with a 2-1 victory against the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.

The Panthers, who will face the Edmonton Oilers in a best-of-7 series that begins Saturday, still like to laugh. But part of Maurice's job in guiding them on this journey they hope will end with them lifting the Cup for the first time is finding the right mix of the humor, seriousness and when to say nothing.

"I feel like he always says the right things at the right time," Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. "He's got a very good sense of humor too. That's what you have to have in this high-pressure situation. You have to have a smile on your face too."

Some days Maurice will make a joke to lighten the mood or provide a kindly reminder that this whole experience is supposed to be fun. Other times, such as when he felt the players "needed some profanity in their life," during a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of the second round, his words have a different tone.

There are also occasions when Maurice understands that it's best to stay out of the way and let the leadership group, headed by captain Aleksander Barkov, handle things themselves.

"'What do they need?' is kind of the kind of the question in my head," Maurice said. "What do they need from me? What's the tone of our day? We have lots of days when it's not funny. If we don't like the way we've played, we deal with it and directly, respectfully, but those are direct days.

"I think all I'm trying to do other than read the team is to make sure everybody understands what an incredible time this is."

This will be Maurice's third appearance in the Cup Final, and second in as many seasons with the Panthers, in his 26 seasons as an NHL coach. Now 57, Maurice was 28 when he coached his first NHL game with the Hartford Whalers in 1995. He was 35 when he brought the Carolina Hurricanes to the Final in 2002, a five-game loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Maurice coached the Whalers/Hurricanes for 11 seasons over two stints (1995-2004, 2008-11) and had other NHL stops with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2006-2008) and Winnipeg Jets (2014-21) before taking a self-imposed half season hiatus 28 games into the 2021-22 season. He returned rejuvenated with the Panthers last season and has gained since then an even greater appreciation for his place behind the bench and where he fits in the grand scheme of his team's success.

"I think my enjoyment of the game, and this is new for me, comes from my understanding I'm really not that important here," Maurice said. "And I mean that. I'm not. There's a great line: 'Don't be so humble. You're not that good.' It's the players, and when they're going, they don't need me. And if they're not, they kind of need you a little bit, but these guys have figured that out anyway."

Maurice has always been at ease talking to the media. His humor and occasional profanity can be effective in steering around an issue he doesn't want to discuss or directing attention toward one he wants under the spotlight.

There's a method to how Maurice delivers his message in the locker room as well.

"Obviously, he's serious when he needs to be, but this is a time when, especially with our group, we keep it light," defenseman Brandon Montour said. "And it's not just us players. It's the coaches. It's the management. The whole organization keeps it light. In stressful times, I think, you kind of experience how easy going not just us players but the rest of the group is and, obviously, he does a good job, and he's pretty funny at it."

Maurice acknowledged, "I probably toned it down a little bit with them," this season in response to the more serious attitude of the players from the start of training camp. Some of that comes from Barkov, who sets the tone with his unrelenting work ethic.

But Barkov, who can fly under the radar with his sly sense of humor, insists that seriousness doesn't take away from the players' enjoyment of the game.

"We are serious about it because we know what we want to achieve and to achieve it, we need to be dialed in as a group," he said. "We still have fun. It's not like we're not smiling."

The Panthers were 52-24-6 to finish first in the Atlantic Division during the regular season and have yet to face elimination in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so there has been a lot to smile about. But there were times when Florida struggled, and Maurice and the players had to put the joking aside and work together to pull out of it.

"We had three blocks of the year where we didn't really love our game and it was all hands on deck," Maurice said. "They weren't casual with it all. Most of what we do as coaches right now is react to the personnel and we are reactive in some ways to our group. There's only a handful of times with this group I really felt we needed to be proactive and take the lead for them.

"For the most part, we just played off them. They're a serious group of guys and they love each other."