Record breaking NHL coach inducted into Sault Hall of Fame

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THE CITY OF SAULT STE. MARIE

*************************** Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame announces induction ceremony for Paul Maurice

SAULT STE. MARIE - The Sault Ste. Marie Hockey Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce that 2010 inductee, Mr. Paul Maurice, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at the Essar Centre during the Soo Greyhounds exhibition game.

The induction ceremony will take place prior to the start of the first period with a special puck drop.

Game start time is 7:35 p.m. 

Background - Paul Maurice

Born January 30, 1967 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Paul Maurice is the current head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. 

At age 43 he became the youngest coach in NHL history to coach 1,000 games on November 28, 2010. 

He was named the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes on December 3, 2008.

Taking over the team with a record of 12-11-2 in 2008-09, Maurice guided the Hurricanes to a 33-19-5 record over the remainder of the season, as the team earned its first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2006.

He directed the team to consecutive Game 7 road victories, knocking off the Atlantic Division Champion New Jersey Devils and the Northeast Division Champion Boston Bruins en route to the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.

Maurice earned his 300th win with the Hurricanes franchise on April 4, 2009, as the Hurricanes defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime to clinch a spot in the 2009 playoffs.

He is the winningest coach in Hurricanes franchise history, having amassed 336 wins in his 813 regular-season games coached, including his current tenure and his first term with the franchise from Nov. 6, 1995 until Dec. 15, 2003.

Maurice guided the Hurricanes to the 2002 Eastern Conference title and two Southeast Division crowns during his first stint as the team’s head coach, and led the team to four consecutive winning seasons from 1998-2002.

On March 16, 2010, he became the 10th coach in NHL history, and third active coach, to spend more than 800 games behind the bench for one franchise. 

In addition to his regular-season records, Maurice ranks first in franchise history in playoff wins (25) and playoff games coached (53).

Prior to the 2003-04 season, Maurice was the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL, having originally been promoted from a Whalers assistant coach’s position on Nov. 6, 1995.

At only 28 years old when he was first hired, Maurice was the league’s youngest head coach, a distinction he maintained until the Boston Bruins hired Mike Sullivan on June 23, 2003.

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