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.”
Ed Westwick puts on a dapper display as he steps out with stunning fiancée Amy Jackson for star
Residents of historic Devon seaside village brace for surge in giant ultra
Lisa Blatt nears a record 50 arguments before the Supreme Court
Xi'an summit to open new chapter of China
Xiplomacy: Xi's vision on military cooperation for world peace, common development
New Penn State coordinators Kotelnicki and Allen encouraged as spirited spring drills wrap up
Understanding what an open China means to the world through "thinner" suitcases
Pregnant Rooney Mara dresses her baby bump in head