Paul Maurice

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). At age 43, Maurice became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games, reaching the milestone on November 28, 2010. He also holds a record for the most losses by an NHL coach with 767. Maurice played four years of junior ice hockey as a defenceman in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) prior to suffering an eye injury. Maurice 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, who had replaced him in 2003. 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. He did so in his 26th season as head coach, the most seasons coached for a first-time champion. 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 in a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.