Paul Maurice Makes a Shocking, But Elegant Acquiescence from the Winnipeg Planes
This NHL season has seen a ton of in-season firings from front office positions to head coaches and everything in between. The Blackhawks, themselves, went through a coaching and front office alter this season and have profited from both. But usually a first this season and a uncommon event within the NHL and all of sports.
This morning, out of the blue, Winnipeg Planes head coach Paul Maurice resigned from his position.
The Planes as of now sit in fifth-place within the Central Division with a 13-10-5 record, great for 31 points within the standings and are fair a point out of the moment wildcard spot within the Western Conference. But for Maurice, who has been the head coach in Winnipeg since being enlisted amid the 2013-14 season, this was his call on his terms. Not a “you can’t fire me, I quit” kind of circumstance.
After being the driving voice within the locker room for parts of nine seasons and hoarding a 315-223-62 and five appearances within the Stanley Container Playoffs in Winnipeg, Maurice conceded that he had gotten everything out of the Planes as head coach that he may. He recognized he not had answers to induce the team “over the hump.”
Passionate Paul Maurice:
this can be a great group, I’m a great coach…but in some cases you’ll only push so far. In some cases a group needs a unused voice. They haven’t stopped on me, but require a diverse voice. It’s the correct time for it, and I know that.
This, once more, isn’t something you see every day in sports. When a coach takes off a group, ordinarily it’s since they were canned or they had a modern, superior opportunity show itself. For Maurice, this was a individual choice and a move made not in scurry.
It’s an genuine and elegant exit, yet unexpected, even to his claim players. Maurice has been coaching hockey since he was 20-years-old when his playing career finished in his Junior Hockey days. Since the 1987-88 season, Maurice has been an collaborator coach with Windsor within the OHL, the Detroit Jr. Ruddy Wings and afterward got to be their head coach some time recently getting to be an partner coach with the Hartford Whalers within the 1995-96 season. Maurice would inevitably ended up the head coach in Hartford at the age of 29 the another season and stay the head coach in Hartford/Carolina until he was fired amid the 2003-04 season. He at that point once more got to be an NHL head coach with the Maple Leafs in 2006 some time recently rejoining the Tropical storms amid the 2008-09 season, remaining in Carolina until being terminated during the 2011-12 season. He coached within the KHL for the 2012-13 season some time recently coming back to the NHL with the Planes.
In add up to in his NHL coaching career, Maurice has been behind the seat for 1,684 diversions (including 92 Stanley Glass Playoff diversions) with an generally record of 775-680-99-130, a career .528 points-percentage. He too has a 41-51 record within the postseason, having driven the Storms to the Stanley Container Last in 2002. Through his press conference taking after his choice nowadays, you may see how much Maurice’s time as a coach had devoured his life and after that how much the current state of the world with the COVID widespread had taken a toll on him.
You have to praise Maurice for his trustworthiness and capacity to swallow a intense pill on his possess, knowing he wasn’t the proper individual for the team any longer. Ideally he can take a few time to discover life exterior of hockey, which he spoke about in a Q&A with The Athletic recently. In his place within the intervals will be Dave Lowry, Planes right hand coach and the father of Planes centerman Adam Lowry.
Lowry, a veteran of 1,084 NHL games in his playing career, has been an NHL collaborator coach on three isolated events with the Calgary Flares from 2009-2012, the LA Lords from 2017-19, and the Winnipeg Planes final season and this season. This will be his to begin with head coaching involvement within the NHL.
The Planes are playing at domestic this evening against the Washington Capitals. So no time to squander for Lowry.
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