WINNIPEG – Paul Maurice held his first media availability as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets after his first practice with the team Monday morning.
“My job is to motivate these guys, get them to buy in,” Maurice said of the team.
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Former head coach Claude Noel was fired on Sunday after the Jets’ fifth straight loss, a 6-3 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Maurice coached 14 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has an NHL coaching record of 460-457-167.
He took Carolina to the Stanley Cup final in 2002.
And after coaching against the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise in the past, Maurice is already quite familiar with the makeup of the team’s roster.
“I’ve had the opportunity, over a lot of years, to watch this team develop, being we were close neighbors in the Southeast Division,” said Maurice. “I’ve watched their play enough to be excited about the group. Clearly we have some areas to improve.”
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The main area where Maurice would like to see improvement is in the Jets’ own end where they rank 24th out of 30 teams in goals against.
“You want me to tell you what we’re working on first? It’s going to be the defensive parts of our game,” said Maurice.
Monday morning’s game-day skate had a faster tempo than recent practices, with many players reinvigorated.
“It definelty feels like a bit of a fresh start,” said defenceman Zach Bogosian. “That’s sometimes good for a team.”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen guys nervous in the pre-game skate,” said forward Bryan Little. “A new coach is kind of watching everyone. He’s got the microscope out, so you don’t want to screw up. You want to make a good first impression.”
Maurice is especially enamoured with the Jets’ speed, size and youth. He has two goals for the remainder of the season: build confidence and make the playoffs. But Maurice knows that will be a tall task after the club’s latest five-game tailspin.
“There’s not a lot of meat on the bone and we’re a ways out,” said Maurice. “There’s not a lot of time on the clock. Those are the facts.”
Noel, who coached the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg before he was named coach of the Jets for their first season, had a 61-56-13 record over his two seasons with the club. Winnipeg finished out of the playoffs in both seasons.
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