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Posted on 05/26/2025 2:21:32 PM PDT by FLNittany
FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice added another gem to his long collection of golden quotes on Sunday morning after being asked about his team’s humility off of the ice despite their ferociousness on it.
The Panthers are, to be sure, one of the most hated teams in the NHL due to their aggressive, take-no-prisoners style.
They certainly are not popular in some parts of their own state, much less in Canada or North Carolina.
Yet after Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes to pull within a game of a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, Brad Marchand was talking about eating ice cream during intermission.
“Is that a fact?” Maurice said when asked about Marchand’s penchant for frozen treats.
“I know he said it, that doesn’t make it a fact. You have video evidence? No? This is a conspiracy theory.’’
Matthew Tkachuk, one of the league’s top agitators, spoke Sunday about going after Sebastian Aho on Saturday two days after he took out Sam Reinhart with a low hipcheck which appears to have injured Reinhart’s knee.
“I don’t really look at it as intent or intimidation at all,’’ Tkachuk said. “It’s just sticking up for teammates. We’re a family in here. It could happen to anybody and there are 20 guys racing to stick up for a teammate. That’s just how our team is built.’’
Moments later, Maurice told a story about Tkachuk seeing a young fan who is battling cancer outside the locker room and stopping for a chat. Maurice even introduced them, joking that he quickly realized Tkachuk certainly needed no introduction. So, Paul, how could a team seemingly this unlikeable be so, well, likeable?
It is all in the context of where you run into them. On the ice? Not good guys.
Off of it, pretty chill bunch.
”I’ll ask you two questions, and they might be personal so you don’t have to answer them,’’ Maurice responded. “Have you ever shotgunned a beer? Have you ever been to church … or something spiritual? OK. Would you shotgun a beer at church? That doesn’t make you a hypocrite. There is a context and a place for all things.
“I will tell you they are honest, these men are honest. That personality is all real. I hated Matthew Tkachuk, that’s a little too strong, when I was in Winnipeg. Then you meet him, and you’re like ‘what a wonderful human being.’ “They are hard on the ice, they are. But that’s driven by how they feel about each other. They don’t want to let the other guy down. There’s a caring about them. These guys are different. Barkov’s personality is our room. Sam Bennett and his wife are raising money for cats and dogs. They are really nice people.
“And then the puck drops. Sometimes you say a prayer, sometimes you shotgun a beer. That’s like our team.’’
As for Maurice’s ice cream preference, he said his go-to is “something with cherry in it. Black cherry, raspberry. That would be good.’’
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They are re-writing the how to win a Stanley Cup playbook. They take sh*t from no one, and are smart enough to save the retribution for when the game is out of hand.
I am a Stars fan, but the Panthers are going to repeat.
A Bob shutout wouldn’t surprise me tonight.
Stars fan as well and I hope one pounds the crap out of Tkechuk before it ends... dirty, unsportsman player who thinks he is the rule maker, more like a punk. They will win with better goaltending, Bob is at another level... impressive to watch. ymmv
That makes two of us. I can’t figure out how the Stars can have so many big money players who just can’t find the back of the net. The Stars seem to go into an Ice Capades mode and just skate around until they are shut out. At least our TEXAS STARS are playing hockey this year. Go Texas Stars!!!!
Just as long as a non Canadian team wins the Stanley, we should all be happy. Little game of who brings home the trophy sooner, Cowboys or a Canadian nhl team.
At the moment I’d eagerly bet on a Canadian team over the Cowboys.
I’d say there is at least a one-in-three chance that a Canadian team will bring home the cup in under a month.
The Panthers may have all but locked up a berth, but the Oilers aren’t that far behind.
Alberta is not really Canada.
As a Lightning fan, I hate the Panthers (in a non spiritual way), but I won’t be surprised if next fall’s Bolts play suspiciously like their Miami rivals.
A Florida team has been in the finals since 2019…hopefully another year to be added.
hockey was ruined 20 years ago...nuetral zone trap ruined the game. All the teams look the same..play the same way...all the goalies are the same. Almost every game is 2-1...3-2. WNBA gets way bigger ratings. Sad...
All the teams don’t play the same. The Panthers obviously play better. They have 3 key players out tonight, and the odds on them winning aren’t affected at all. It’s a non-factor.
Habs swept Florida during the season.
Would’ve been interesting match up in the playoffs.
I remember when Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito skated the ice together sans helmuts, they scored a lot of goals. I wish that hockey players did not have to wear helmets.
Regular season Panthers are different than Post-season Panthers.
I think your post is 20 years out of date. The game has changed dramatically since the NHL adopted a set of rule changes in 2005.
NHL has a higher total season attendance than the NFL and the NBA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attendance_figures_at_domestic_professional_sports_leagues
I saw a dead bobcat on I-95 this morning, probably clipped, fully intact, big animal
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