SUNRISE, Fla. – Head coach Paul Maurice can add another feather to his cap.
In Saturday night’s 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks, Maurice collected his 111th win with the Florida Panthers, surpassing Jacques Martin (2006-2008) for the most in franchise history.
“That tells you a lot,” said captain Aleksander Barkov. “He knows how to prepare the team to win games and play the right way, and that’s the most important. He wants us to play the right way, and the wins will come.”
Bringing a winning system to South Florida, Maurice has received full buy-in from the locker room.
Of course, the results speak for themselves.
Since Maurice’s hire in the summer of 2022, the Panthers have a .620 winning percentage in the regular season.
They also lead the NHL with 29 playoff wins in that span, including back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
Just a few months ago, he also became the first coach in franchise history to hoist Lord Stanley.
“It’s been a fairly fun ride, eventful,” said Maurice after the game. “These two and a half years have been a lot of fun. The intensity, the ups and downs, and the success is what’s made it. These guys are fun to coach. We’ve been in some wild games, some incredibly difficult situations, found a way, and reached the summit together. I’ve enjoyed it.”
Off to another good start this season, sitting in first in the Atlantic Division with a 17-9-2 record, it’s safe to say Maurice will continue to add to his newfound record for many years to come.
“He's great at getting the best out of each and every player, which is super hard to do as a coach, but he's seemed to master that,” said Matthew Tkachuk. “That's an unbelievable skill to have for him. We all love playing for him, and hopefully we can make that record that much bigger.”
