WINNIPEG 鈥� Paul Maurice sounded comfortable with his decision to resign as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets Friday morning, but players were left shocked.聽
Maurice spoke to the media at sa国际传媒 Life Centre after the team announced his departure from the club that had hired him to replace Claude Noel in January 2014.
鈥淚鈥檓 cheering for these guys. I love these guys. I love this place,鈥� Maurice said.聽
鈥淚 know that it鈥檚 time and that鈥檚 a good thing for the Jets, and it鈥檚 also a really, really good thing for me.鈥�
Dave Lowry, an assistant under Maurice and the father of Jets forward Adam Lowry, will take over as Winnipeg鈥檚 interim head coach for the rest of the season, Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said.聽
The Jets are 13-10-5, but just 4-7-2 over their last 13 games, including Tuesday's embarrassing 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on home ice.聽
They host the Washington Capitals Friday night.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 necessarily a bunch of negative things that stacked up on this,鈥� said Maurice, who spoke briefly to injured captain Blake Wheeler and then the whole team about his decision.
聽鈥淚鈥檝e pushed as long and as hard as I can here ... They need a new voice, and I know that.鈥�
聽While Maurice said it was a good day, Jets centre Mark Scheifele viewed it a 鈥渟elfless act鈥� by his now-former coach.
聽鈥淚t鈥檚 a big shock,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nytime this happens, you can鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a good day. Obviously if it鈥檚 good for Paul, that鈥檚 his thought process.聽
聽鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things that shocks you. You have to take a look in the mirror and reflect on things.鈥�
The Jets, who are three points back of the Edmonton Oilers for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, had signed Maurice to a multi-year extension in February 2020.聽
Maurice said he and Cheveldayoff and team co-owner Mark Chipman talked last summer about whether he was the right guy going forward.聽
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a last straw. It was 100 per cent my decision,鈥� Maurice said.
He admitted he started losing some of his passion and love for the game and it wouldn鈥檛 have been right for him to keep taking a paycheque under those circumstances, or fair to the players.聽
鈥淚鈥檓 looking at them, like one your kids, going you need to fix something here. And it鈥檚 me,鈥� Maurice said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not embarrassed by it. I鈥檓 tremendously proud of what we鈥檝e done here and I get to stay that way.鈥澛�
The club made the playoffs five times during Maurice鈥檚 tenure. He guided the Jets to the 2017-18 Western Conference final, which Winnipeg lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.聽
The 54-year-old native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., compiled a 315-223-62 record in exactly 600 games with Winnipeg. He was the second-longest serving NHL coach after Tampa Bay Lightning鈥檚 Jon Cooper.
聽鈥淓ven in the real disappointing losses, I thought we worked,鈥� Cheveldayoff said.
聽鈥淎 lot of times you hear 鈥� 鈥榟e lost the room鈥� and stuff like that. I really didn鈥檛 think that the guys ever stopped working and I don鈥檛 think that they ever stopped listening. But did they stop hearing? Then it鈥檚 semantics, but I think there is a difference.鈥�
Adam Lowry said it felt like the players let Maurice down, but they鈥檒l regroup under his dad鈥檚 leadership. He expects his father鈥檚 coaching style will be similar to Maurice.
聽鈥淧aul was very prepared. Paul was very articulate in the message he wanted,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ooking at teams in the past that my dad has coached, he wants them to play fast and he wants them to play with the puck, He really just tries to hold them accountable to their actions.鈥�
Lowry, 56, joined the Jets as an assistant coach in November 2020 after being head coach of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. The former NHL player was an assistant with the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.
"There are going to be things that Dave is going to do different," Cheveldayoff said. "Sometimes getting uncomfortable in a player鈥檚 routine or life, that鈥檚 good. I think the players need to get a little uncomfortable here right now. We鈥檙e not in a comfortable situation. This team should be better. That鈥檚 a simple fact.
Maurice started his NHL coaching career with the Hartford Whalers in 1995 at age 29. He remained with the organization when it moved to Carolina to become the Hurricanes.聽
Maurice was fired by Carolina in 2003 before being hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs to coach their American Hockey League affiliate in 2005. He became head coach of the Leafs in 2006 after the team fired Pat Quinn, but only lasted two seasons in Toronto.
Maurice was rehired by Carolina in December 2008, and remained there until he was let go a second time in 2011.
He then coached one season in the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League in 2012-13 before the Jets hired him.
His 775 career wins places him sixth all-time among NHL coaches 聽(775-680-99-130).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2021.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
