Mic'd up Panthers coach shares NSFW message before final Stanley Cup shift

USA Today

20-06-2025

A post shared by NHL (@nhl)
Fourth liners in the NHL don't get a ton of love.
Despite being incredibly talented players in their own right, the guys at the end of the bench are typically forced into playing a much grittier game than their teammates. While the top two lines are focused on scoring — and the third line is typically comprised of a team's best defenders — fourth liners are out there to cause chaos, give the top guys a breather and find ways to change the momentum.
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It's an incredibly tough, rarely rewarding job. Unless you play for Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice.
As the clock was ticking down in the Panthers' Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 blowout, Maurice gathered his fourth line and told them to hit the ice with perfectly profane pump-up speech.
Warning: NSFW Language
Paul Maurice wanted his last line to be the first to be the first to celebrate winning a championship. That's some excellent leadership there — and a perfect incentive for any fourth liner out there to gleefully take on one of hockey's toughest jobs.