In 2005-06, Paul Maurice was coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate after coaching the Carolina Hurricanes franchise for parts of nine seasons.
The Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup the same year Maurice had to take an AHL job. It was probably disheartening for him.
But Maurice persisted in coaching NHL teams. He coached the Leafs for two years, had a second stint coaching Carolina, led the Winnipeg Jets for parts of nine seasons and landed a job coaching the Florida Panthers in 2022.
After all that time, Maurice led Florida to back-to-back Cups in 2024 and 2025.
Maurice's longevity is partly what makes him the No. 3 coach on TheHockeyNews.com's NHL coach rankings.
Our ranking criteria include each coach's reputation, short- and long-term impact and expectations. Ultimately, this list is subjective.
The full list to date is at the bottom, but first, here's more on Paul Maurice.
3. PAUL MAURICE, FLORIDA PANTHERS
Maurice is a hockey lifer, and given that he's only 59, he's got many years ahead.
Maurice already has 2,012 regular-season games under his belt as a coach – only 129 behind coaching icon Scotty Bowman for the most NHL games coached ever. That's only about a season-and-a-half's worth of games, so unless there's a downturn for the Panthers that affects his status, Maurice is not only going to break Bowman's record but demolish it.
With today's NHL coaches almost always on the verge of being fired, it's difficult to envision another bench boss having the staying power that Maurice has.
Because of his longevity, Maurice has 956 regular-season wins – 56 behind Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville for second all-time in NHL history, and 288 behind Bowman for first place.
Maurice understands how to motivate and employ players, and there are very few coaches with a better reputation at this point than Maurice has.
That said, the Panthers missed the playoffs last season, and that's a mark against Maurice, who probably would've been higher on this list if he'd steered Florida back into a playoff spot and competed for a three-peat.
But you can chalk up some of Florida's struggles this past year to injuries. The moment Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was lost for the season after injuring his knee in training camp, Florida became a long shot to thrive in a highly competitive Atlantic Division. And Maurice could only do so much with the talent that was healthy enough to play.
There will be a considerable amount of pressure for Maurice to get the Panthers back into the post-season this year. Florida has completely changed up its goaltending tandem, bidding farewell to dependable veteran Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov and bringing in former New Jersey Devils goalies Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid.
Panthers GM Bill Zito also added veterans Radko Gudas, Garnet Hathaway and Lars Eller to bolster Florida's depth. But the Panthers' biggest move is the acquisition of former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. So there's no excuse for Maurice not to get Florida back into the playoffs.
Year by year, slowly but surely, Maurice has built up a Hockey Hall of Fame-caliber NHL career for himself. But the Atlantic Division has seven of eight teams that can be playoff-worthy – sorry, Detroit Red Wings fans – so the bench boss must get the most out of his squad to prove last season was a blip and not a sign of things to come.
Maurice has earned the flowers he's received since Florida's back-to-back championships. He's been smart enough to have the trust of team ownership everywhere he's worked, and he's made the most of just about every opportunity he's received at the NHL level.
If he never coached again, Maurice would be a no-brainer Hall of Famer. But he still has the competitive fire burning in him, and he now can add at least one more Cup to his phenomenal resume. The Panthers have the talent to be a playoff team in the Atlantic next season, and Maurice can add to his already-impressive legacy.
NHL COACH RANKINGS
3. Paul Maurice, Florida
4. Jared Bednar, Colorado
5. Joel Quenneville, Anaheim
6. Mike Sullivan, NY Rangers
7. Martin St-Louis, Montreal
8. Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia
9. Spencer Carbery, Washington
10. Peter DeBoer, NY Islanders
11. John Hynes, Minnesota
12. Lindy Ruff, Buffalo
13. Dan Muse, Pittsburgh
14. Rick Bowness, Columbus
15. Peter Laviolette, Los Angeles
16. Jim Montgomery, St. Louis
17. Todd McLellan, Detroit
18. Marco Sturm, Boston
19. Sheldon Keefe, New Jersey
20. Scott Arniel, Winnipeg
21. Travis Green, Ottawa
22. Glen Gulutzan, Dallas
23. Andre Tourigny, Utah
24. Jim Hiller, Toronto
25. Ryan Warsofsky, San Jose
26. Manny Malhotra, Vancouver
27. Ryan Huska, Calgary
28. Mike Babcock, Edmonton
29. Andrew Brunette, Nashville
30. Ryan Craig, Vegas
31. Lane Lambert, Seattle
32. Jeff Blashill, Chicago