POJO_Risin
05-12-2006, 10:10 PM
Coached the Canes to the 02 Cup finals...
seems to get more than what a team looks like it can give...
Should be a good hire for the Leafs...
and Maurice was a hot commodity this year...
Leafs promote Maurice to replace Quinn as coach
May 12, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
TORONTO -- Paul Maurice was 3 months old when the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. He knows what must be done, and now is in position to do something about it.
"In this market it's pretty simple, you win or lose and there's no gray area in there," Maurice said Friday after being hired as coach of the Maple Leafs. "You're judged every game here, shift by shift as a matter of fact."
He replaces Pat Quinn, who was fired April 20. Maurice was in line to succeed Quinn when he was hired last year to coach the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
"It's humbling in a lot of ways to be charged with the task of coaching this team," he said at a news conference at Air Canada Centre.
The 39-year-old Maurice, the former coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, inherits a team that finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
The Maple Leafs are one of the league's anchors, but their last Stanley Cup came in 1967. Maurice is the 26th head coach in franchise history and understands the job's demands.
Paul Maurice gets a second chance as an NHL coach three years after being fired by the Hurricanes. (AP)
"You're not prepared for it and you can't be until you live it," he said. "But I'm also looking forward to that. ... This is the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's a dream. I know it's not always going to be friendly."
Maurice got a glimpse of what his future entailed last week while home in Windsor, Ontario.
"I'm walking in a mall and I have a guy from a wireless store yelling at me about the leadership of the club and who I should give an 'A' to," Maurice said. "And at that point I'm not even coach of the Leafs yet. So I have a sense this is a little bit different."
Leafs general manager John Ferguson called Maurice an "ideal candidate."
"I did know from Day 1 that Paul was brought in here to coach, his capabilities as an NHL coach had been demonstrated for seven-plus years with Carolina-Hartford," Ferguson said. "Out of respect for this organization it was the right thing to do for our organization to conduct an appropriate process."
Other NHL clubs called about Maurice, but Ferguson wouldn't let them near him.
"I heard from a number of my peers throughout the league to that effect, and it wasn't solely limited to the last couple of weeks," Ferguson said.
seems to get more than what a team looks like it can give...
Should be a good hire for the Leafs...
and Maurice was a hot commodity this year...
Leafs promote Maurice to replace Quinn as coach
May 12, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
TORONTO -- Paul Maurice was 3 months old when the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. He knows what must be done, and now is in position to do something about it.
"In this market it's pretty simple, you win or lose and there's no gray area in there," Maurice said Friday after being hired as coach of the Maple Leafs. "You're judged every game here, shift by shift as a matter of fact."
He replaces Pat Quinn, who was fired April 20. Maurice was in line to succeed Quinn when he was hired last year to coach the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
"It's humbling in a lot of ways to be charged with the task of coaching this team," he said at a news conference at Air Canada Centre.
The 39-year-old Maurice, the former coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, inherits a team that finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
The Maple Leafs are one of the league's anchors, but their last Stanley Cup came in 1967. Maurice is the 26th head coach in franchise history and understands the job's demands.
Paul Maurice gets a second chance as an NHL coach three years after being fired by the Hurricanes. (AP)
"You're not prepared for it and you can't be until you live it," he said. "But I'm also looking forward to that. ... This is the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's a dream. I know it's not always going to be friendly."
Maurice got a glimpse of what his future entailed last week while home in Windsor, Ontario.
"I'm walking in a mall and I have a guy from a wireless store yelling at me about the leadership of the club and who I should give an 'A' to," Maurice said. "And at that point I'm not even coach of the Leafs yet. So I have a sense this is a little bit different."
Leafs general manager John Ferguson called Maurice an "ideal candidate."
"I did know from Day 1 that Paul was brought in here to coach, his capabilities as an NHL coach had been demonstrated for seven-plus years with Carolina-Hartford," Ferguson said. "Out of respect for this organization it was the right thing to do for our organization to conduct an appropriate process."
Other NHL clubs called about Maurice, but Ferguson wouldn't let them near him.
"I heard from a number of my peers throughout the league to that effect, and it wasn't solely limited to the last couple of weeks," Ferguson said.