Paul Maurice Resigns As Jets Head Coach

Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice, Jansen Harkins (12), Kristian Vesalainen (93) and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) watch from the bench against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP) Photo Credit: Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press via AP

In a rather shocking turn of events, the Winnipeg Jets announced that head coach Paul Maurice has resigned, effective immediately. 

The team’s public relations department put out a statement on Friday morning, saying that the club had accepted his resignation. The statement also announced that Dave Lowry would serve as the interim head coach, later confirmed by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. Lowry will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

Official statement put out by the Jets’ PR team regarding the resignation of Paul Maurice.

An emotional Maurice spoke to the media on Friday, saying, “This is a good team, I’m a good coach… but sometimes you can only push so far. Sometimes a team needs a new voice, they need somebody to help them get to that next place. They haven’t quit on me, but they need a different voice. It’s the right time for it, and I know that.” 

Maurice also talked about his experiences coaching through the pandemic, saying, “Going back to the bubble, to the lockout year, I didn’t enjoy it and that’s the very first time in my career I didn’t enjoy coming to the rink. If you lose some of that passion for the game, the love of the game, you can still be good, but you can’t be as good as you should be, or you could be, and that’s how I feel I am. So, this is where I’m at today.”

Maurice, 54, was in the midst of his ninth season behind the bench for Winnipeg. Through 600 games as the bench boss of the Jets, he posted a record of 315-223-62. The team has made the playoffs in five of its eight complete seasons under him, highlighted by a magical run to the Western Conference Final in 2018, where they fell in five games to the new kids on the block (at the time) in the Vegas Golden Knights.

Maurice was also the second longest-tenured head coach in the league, behind only Jon Cooper of the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lowry, 56, has served as an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames (2009-12) and Los Angeles Kings (2017-19) before coming to Manitoba in 2020-21. He’ll make his debut as a head coach on Friday night as the Jets play host to the Washington Capitals, who are currently tied for first place in the always competitive Metropolitan division.

Cheveldayoff also spoke to the media, saying, “I think he (Maurice) definitely felt that he couldn’t push the buttons, and we came to an agreement.” Cheveldayoff added that Maurice would be “well taken care of” following the move. 

Maurice also mentioned that he, Cheveldayoff, and Mark Chipman (chairman for True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Jets) discussed this last summer while adding that this was a personal decision.

As for this season, the Jets still have some ground to make up. With a record of 13-10-5, they sit three points behind the Edmonton Oilers for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Winnipeg is also on a two-game winless streak and has lost three of their last six games dating back to Dec. 1. They’re set to wrap up a three-game homestand in an afternoon matinee with the St. Louis Blues on Sunday before heading out on the road for two games to head into the Christmas break.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

One thought on “Paul Maurice Resigns As Jets Head Coach”

Leave a Reply

NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at Detroit Red Wings with Line Combinations 12/21/2024

Opinion: The Red Wings are Closer than You Think

By the time it was over, the 2023-24 season gave little hope to Red Wings fans. Montreal, Columbus and Ottawa all passed them in points this season, both Ottawa and Montreal broke the playoff barrier and ended their droughts. Fans and media alike deemed this offseason as one where the Red Wings needed to make […]

Read More
Ben Scrivens of the Edmonton Oilers

Ghosts Of Oilers Past: Ben Scrivens

With goaltending becoming a more humongous topic among Oilers fans than it already was prior to this season, why not have some fun and reminisce about one of the very few good highlights during the Decade of Darkness? The most historic performance by a goalie in the regular season happened on a team that, at […]

Read More
Utah Mammoth

Utah Mammoth 2025-26 Games To Watch

Year two of the Utah hockey experience begins in mere months, and the schedule is full of games from Central Division faceoffs to meetings with back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions and even rebuilding Eastern Conference contenders. NOV. 12th – vs Buffalo Sabres Easily able to be described as the biggest offseason move General Manager Bill Armstrong […]

Read More