The Montreal Canadiens got nowhere near the Stanley Cup playoffs this year. But that didn’t stop the legendary franchise from getting a shoutout on the ice on Monday night.
Despite being pushed to a Game 7, the Florida Panthers were able to seal the deal at home against the Edmonton Oilers, securing their first-ever championship at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
As helmets and gloves flew around once the final buzzer rang out on their 2-1 victory, media rushed to the ice to capture reactions from players and team personnel.
The best interview of the night, though, arguably went to the often-quotable Panthers head coach Paul Maurice.
Before even touching the trophy, the 57-year-old was visibly emotional from the result.
It’s not what I thought it would be, it’s so much better,” Maurice told Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas.
Maurice then got misty-eyed upon realizing his family name would join the likes of NHL legends and Canadiens icons such as Maurice Richard and Jean Beliveau on the trophy.
“Hey Dad, your name’s going up with your heroes. Beliveau, Richard, [Gordie] Howe, [Ted] Lindsay, Maurice.”
“It’s not what I thought it would be, it’s so much better.”
Paul Maurice on winning his first #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/CKluEu8rWy
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 25, 2024
Maurice later elaborated on the significance of seeing his father’s name next to the players from the great NHL dynasties of the past.
“It’s my dad’s name,” he said in an additional postgame interview, referring to his father, Denis Maurice. “That means something. My dad grew up in Montreal without a dad. And then he moved to the Detroit area, Windsor, Detroit, so all his heroes are Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings. And I know Jean Beliveau’s name and Maurice Richard’s name from hearing it since I was five. That’s what’s cool. My dad’s name is on the Stanley Cup with all of his heroes.”
Once the new engravings are made, the Maurice family will be in good company with Richard’s name appearing eight times on the trophy. Beliveau’s name is even more popular, appearing 17 times on the hardware (10 as a player and seven as a team executive).