Maurice jokes he'd 'never use' profanity like DeBoer
Warning: Story contains coarse language
If Paul Maurice hadn't spent the better part of his life in hockey, he might've had a career as a comedian.
The Florida Panthers bench boss poked fun at his propensity for profanity when asked Saturday about Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer's postgame outburst Friday night.
"I would never use that kind of language," Maurice quipped, according to The Associated Press' Colby Guy.
DeBoer got upset with Tim Cowlishaw of ESPN and the Dallas Morning News following the Stars' 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on Friday. DeBoer told Cowlishaw he can "go ahead and write whatever the fuck" he wants after the columnist and pundit called the Stars' second-period effort "lifeless" and said they "kind of put no pressure on (the Oilers) at all" after falling behind.
"You can sit here and question our character if you want," DeBoer said before dropping the F-bomb. "You haven't been around all year; I haven't seen you here all year."
Maurice, of course, has a long history of making bleep-inducing remarks, both during and after games. Just over two weeks ago, he was seen on a broadcast shouting at his team on the bench and then explained it postgame by saying the players "just needed some profanity in their life, and I brought some."
"I don't excel at a lot of things in life, but fuck me, am I good at that," he added at the time.
Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour said Saturday that he welcomes Maurice's ability to inject levity into situations or drive home a more straitlaced message, depending on what's called for in the moment.
"I think he's got a great sense of humor," the blue-liner told reporters, including Bally Sports Florida's Katie Engleson. "(When) he comes in the (dressing) room, he's the same way with us. Obviously, serious when he needs to be, but ... this is a time, especially with our group, (when) we keep it light.
"It's not just us players. It's the coaches, it's the management, the whole organization keeps it light. In stressful times, you kind of experience how easy-going not just us players but the rest of the group is, and, obviously, he does a good job and, obviously, he's pretty funny."
The fact that the Panthers are one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season could be why they're in a joking mood. Florida leads the New York Rangers 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Final. The Cats will get their first crack at qualifying for this year's championship round in Game 6 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Sunrise.
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