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NHL Makes Historic Paul Maurice Announcement Following Game 3 of Panthers-Oilers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Ettinger | Last updated Jun 10, 2025 12:56 AM ET

The Florida Panthers have firmly established themselves as the latest dynasty in the National Hockey League. In the extensive history of the NHL, multiple teams have won consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, making multiyear appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Panthers find themselves in their third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, seeking back-to-back Stanley Cups. That would make them the first team to accomplish the feat since the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

At the helm of the current Panthers' dynasty is head coach, Paul Maurice. While Maurice's playing career never took off, he's found tremendous success as a coach at the NHL level.

Maurice, 58, is in his third season with the Panthers, coaching in his twenty-seventh season in the NHL.

With the Panthers winning a crucial Game 3 over the Edmonton Oilers 6-1, Maurice made NHL history. Monday night's victory was win No. 1,000 for Maurice, making him just the third coach in NHL history to reach this mark (including regular season and playoffs).

The NHL made the announcement on their official X account immediately following the conclusion of Game 3.

Make that 1,000 NHL wins for Paul Maurice as a head coach.

He joined Scotty Bowman (1,467) and Joel Quenneville (1,090) as the only head coaches in League history to reach the mark. #StanleyCup #NHLStats: https://t.co/t85G7yQ6un pic.twitter.com/C1LyDgM08v
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) June 10, 2025

Maurice joins Scotty Bowman (1,467 wins) and Joel Quenneville (1,090 wins) as the only coaches in NHL history to reach 1,000 career wins.

With Game 3 of Panthers-Oilers getting out of hand in the third period, as the Panthers grabbed a 5-1 lead just 3:27 into the final period, the matchup resembled a dark-alley-brawl rather than a hockey game.

In total, seven players were ejected from Game 3. Regardless, the Panthers finished with the historic win, going up 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Maurice will be able to celebrate his historic win for two days, as the puck will drop on Game 4 on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EDT on TNT, truTV, and Max.

The Panthers will look to capture win No. 1,001 for Maurice while also seeking a dominant 3-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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