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"You're gonna lose some guys" - Paul Maurice opens up about the harsh realities of successful team-building as Panthers gear up for Stanley Cup finals
The Florida Panthers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight year after defeating the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. While last year's Finals run ended in disappointment with a loss to Vegas, Panthers coach Paul Maurice sees growth and improvement in his squad this time around.
Speaking after the Rangers series clincher, Maurice commented on the contrast between this year's postgame celebration and last year's raucous affair.
"Slightly subdued this year relative to that," Maurice said. "Lots of happy people, but maybe we’ve got a little more experience now."
"When you make it to the finals, I don’t know how many teams actually get better the next year, because you’re usually paying a bunch of guys ... so you’re gonna lose some guys," Maurice added.
However, Maurice believes this Panthers team has defied the odds and taken a meaningful step forward.
"Our hockey team got better from last year to this year," he said.
While roster turnover is inevitable in the salary cap era, Maurice credits the character and development of this year's squad.
"We had good men last year and I still love that year and I love this year separately and differently than any other year that I’ve coached, but our hockey team is better this year," Maurice added.
The Panthers now await the winner of the Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars series in the Stanley Cup Finals. Edmonton currently leads that matchup 3-2 as the series shifts back to Dallas for Game 6.
Panthers decided not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy
Florida received the Prince of Wales Trophy, which is given each year to the Eastern Conference champions. In contrast to last season, the Panthers decided not to touch the trophy.
"We touched it last year and it didn't work for us," said forward Sam Bennett. "So we thought we'd try something different this year."
Perhaps superstitious from that disappointing finish, Florida coach Paul Maurice made sure the team kept their hands off the trophy this time around.
"He also told me last year (not to touch it)," said captain Aleksander Barkov. "Last year we had a different situation, but we’re not going to talk about last year. This year, I think we all agreed we were not going to touch it."
Maurice jokingly claimed he doesn't remember what he told the team last season.
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