Cliff Stanley

Head coach of the Florida Panthers and one of only two NHL coaches to reach 2,000 games.

via Wikipedia: Paul Maurice · see source

Paul Maurice (born January 30, 1967) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Quick Facts

Nationality: Canadian

Lore & Background

Maurice played four years of junior ice hockey as a defenceman in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) prior to suffering an eye injury. He started his NHL coaching career with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes franchise from 1995 to 2003 and the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2006 to 2008. On December 3, 2008, Maurice was rehired by the Hurricanes after the firing of Peter Laviolette. On November 28, 2011, the Carolina Hurricanes announced that Maurice had been fired for a second time, whereupon, after a brief stint coaching Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), he joined the Winnipeg Jets in January 2014.

After his resignation from the Jets in December 2021, Maurice was named head coach of the Florida Panthers in June 2022, and led the Panthers to three consecutive appearances in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. On June 24, 2024, Maurice coached the Panthers to the team's first Stanley Cup championship, winning the series in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers. On June 17, 2025, Maurice coached the Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, winning the series in six games against the Edmonton Oilers.

Reader's Guide

Maurice began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires after retiring as a player. He later became head coach of the Detroit Jr. Red Wings in 1993–94, leading them to the OHL finals. He joined the Hartford Whalers as an assistant coach in 1995 and was promoted to head coach at age 28, becoming the second youngest coach in NHL history. He coached the Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2008 to 2011. He also coached the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2006 to 2008. After leaving the Jets in 2021, he became head coach of the Florida Panthers in 2022.

Did You Know?

At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games, reaching the milestone on November 28, 2010.
He and Scotty Bowman are the only head coaches to have coached in at least 2,000 NHL games.
He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 12th round, 252nd overall, in the 1985 NHL entry draft.