Only one person, the legendary Scotty Bowman, has coached in more National Hockey League games than the Florida Panthers’ Paul Maurice.
Despite his nearly unmatched knowledge and experience, Maurice can’t tell you how to keep an airtight lid on Alexander Ovechkin.
As Ovechkin closes in on passing Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history — the Washington Capitals superstar, with 886 goals, was nine short of eclipsing Gretzky’s record of 894 going into the Caps’ road game against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night — Maurice was asked about Ovechkin’s chase.
“He has been the centre of everybody’s penalty-kill video for 20 years, since he has been in the league, and he scores,” Maurice said.
“You just don’t seem to be able to stop him.”
Maurice coached in 1,913 NHL games before the Panthers and Maple Leafs met on Thursday. Bowman coached in 2,141 NHL games.
The rule changes coming out of the 2004-05 NHL lockout that opened the game up were a boon for skilled players such as Ovechkin reveal their full talents.
“Before the game changed, it was grind, clutch and grab, and I know that, because we did it better than anybody,” Maurice said. “If you were back in the clutch-and-grab days, you would send somebody over to Ovie and grab his stick, and you could hang on to it for 30 seconds before anybody caught on.
“(The changes) were great for the game, as is his scoring. Chasing Wayne Gretzky, what an incredible story. Every single team and coach for the last 20 years has had a plan that hasn’t worked.”
Ovechkin one day will have a display in the Hockey Hall of Fame dedicated just to him. On Wednesday, the Panthers gathered at the Hall to officially donate a Stanley Cup ring.
“You can spend days (at the Hall),” Maurice said. “The permanent part about it is you get to do something about it. It’s an incredible place. If you grew up in the game, you can walk through there and so many great names … It’s a magical trip.”
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