Paul Maurice
Paul Maurice ( born January 30, 1967 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defender and current coach. Since January 2014 he has been head coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League.
Career
Paul Maurice began his career in 1984 at the Windsor Compuware Spitfires in the Canadian Junior Football League Ontario Hockey League. After a modest first season he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL Entry Draft in 1985 in the twelfth round at position 252. Maurice played three more years in Windsor, but finished his career in 1988 as an eye injury he had suffered in 1985, disabled him.
Maurice received from team owner Peter Karmanos the opportunity as an assistant coach with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors, also to hire a team of OHL. 1992 changed its name to the franchise in Detroit Junior Red Wings and the following year Maurice was head coach. Under his leadership, the boys team enjoyed two successful years by winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1995 as a playoff winner of the OHL and the second in the Memorial Cup tournament.
In summer 1995, Maurice became the assistant coach of his NHL team, the Hartford Whalers, appointed by Karmanos and 1996 promoted at the age of 29 years for head coach. The first season was with the missed participation in the playoffs without success, and the team was subsequently relocated to Raleigh in North Carolina and renamed the Carolina Hurricanes. 1999 and 2001 reached the Hurricanes make the playoffs, but not survived the first round both times. 2002 Maurice led them finally to the hitherto biggest success in the history of the franchise, as the Hurricanes moved in to the finals for the Stanley Cup, but there the Detroit Red Wings documents.
The following season was a setback for Maurice, as the team won only 22 of the 82 season games and thus finished last in the league. When the Hurricanes had celebrated only eight victories during the 2003/ 04 season after 30 games, Maurice was dismissed.
In summer 2005, Maurice was obliged by the Toronto Marlies, the AHL farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs and led the team to the playoffs, but where they already failed in the first round of the Grand Rapids Griffins. After the Maple Leafs Pat Quinn had dismissed, Maurice was appointed in May 2006 as head coach of the NHL team. In his first season with the Maple Leafs, he was able to put up with 40 wins a personal record, but the team missed the playoffs in short supply.
The season 2007/ 08 was similar unsuccessful and the Maple Leafs temporarily occupied the last place in the Eastern Conference. In the end, the team only won 36 of 82 games, reaching the worst result of the season since 1998. After the team had missed this, already for the third time in a row the playoffs, Maurice was discharged on 7 May 2008. About half a year later, Maurice was as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, who had dismissed his erstwhile successor, Peter Laviolette, a new employer.
After prolonged sporting failure in the 2011/12 season, the club parted on November 28, 2011 by Maurice and gave the commitment of Kirk Muller as new head coach known. Maurice then moved in the Continental Hockey League and became the 2012/13 season new head coach of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk. There, however, his contract was not renewed after the season.
On January 12, 2014 Paul Maurice took over the position as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets of his predecessor Claude Noël.
Awards and achievements
As a coach
- J. Ross Robertson Cup 1995
- Memorial Cup Final 1995
- Stanley Cup Finals 2002