Paul Maurice comments on Leijoni’s coach speculation: “They don’t need me”

Finland there was a buzz around the men’s national ice hockey team at the Milan-Cortina Olympics when HS talked about the players’ thoughts on getting the champion coach of the Florida Panthers Paul Maurice To the Lions coaching team.

Lions GM Jere Lehtinen comments on information to HS so that he is “sort of” aware of the conversation, which however did not lead to anything concrete.

Now Maurice has commented on the matter Sports nettle. Probably with special turns of words, though.

“I got a bunch of text messages. Banter. I think someone mixed me up Tuomo Ruutuu. Behind the bench was the coach of the Panthers, it just wasn’t me,” commented Maurice, throwing it as a joke.

Tuomo Ruutu is part of the coaching staff of both the Florida Panthers and the Lions.

So Maurice did not take a direct stand on the information that he was wanted behind the Finnish bench for the Olympics. However, he said that there are no passions for coaching the Lions.

“There are too many good coaches in Finland, they don’t need me. I was born in Canada and am a citizen of the United States. I think I will stay in Fort Lauderdale during these tournaments. It has worked really well.”

A defensive legend for the Lions Kimmo Timonen recently commented Diamondnews on the podcast.

Timonen said that, according to his information, the discussion about Maurice’s possible lion nest had started on the Canadian coach’s own initiative.

HS:n according to several reliable sources, Finland’s leading NHL players discussed and speculated about Maurice in the summer and the possibility of having him coach the Lions for the Olympics.

The players discussed that Maurice, who piloted the Florida Panthers to two consecutive Stanley Cups, could become part of the Olympic coaching staff or even the head coach Antti Pennanen in place of.

Maurice is in his fourth season coaching the Panthers. The Panthers are one of the NHL’s “Finnish teams”.

The captain plays in the team Alexander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and defender Niko Mikkola.

In the end, Maurice was not seen in the Lions’ changing shed at the Olympics, unlike Lundell, Luostar and Mikkola. Finland went home from the games with bronze medals around their necks.