FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Ordinarily at playoff time, this would be bulletin-board material: A coach in the NHL referred to the Florida Panthers as weird.
Except this time, nobody minded. Because the guy who said it was Panthers coach Paul Maurice.
Weird, goofy and unique are just some of the terms Maurice uses to describe his team, and he’s saying those words in the most endearing way possible. To him, they’re all badges of honor, part of the reasons why the Panthers finished with 110 points, won the Atlantic Division for the second time in three years and have a full head of steam going into a first-round playoff series with the rival Tampa Bay Lightning.
“There’s a lot of guys that have been here for a long time, we’ve been together and everyone’s great,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “Everyone’s serious when we go on the ice and when we have to work. That’s the best part of it. And, off the ice, obviously we want to be as relaxed as possible, joke around, that kind of stuff. We love spending time together.”
Swiatek beats Raducanu in Stuttgart quarters. Sabalenka loses to Vondrousova
China to Pilot National Cultural Heritage
Railway Authorities Organize Onboard Markets, Performances in SW China
Railway Authorities Organize Onboard Markets, Performances in SW China
Pregnant Rooney Mara dresses her baby bump in head
China's Ancient Symbols Light up Upcoming World University Games
Taikonaut Sparks Enthusiasm for Space As China Celebrates Its Space Day
China Space Museum Reopens to Public After Renovation
Olympic organizers unveil strategy for using artificial intelligence in sports
Bitcoin halving: Everything you need to know
Chinese Farmers Busy with Field Works at Beginning of Summer