Photo credit: NHL.com
Paul Maurice is balancing Florida Panthers focus and Winter Classic family time, with Friday's result still feeling massive.
The scene in Miami is pure postcard, but the game is not. The Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in the Discover 2026 NHL Winter Classic, and it's Florida's first outdoor NHL game.
Under the lights, it's still a standings fight. Florida enters at 21-15-3 and sits one point out of an East wild card, while New York is 19-18-5 and chasing too.
That's why Maurice's approach lands the way it does, it's warm without being soft. He wants the families and the staff in the story, then he wants everyone locked in when it matters most.
«You get serious at 5 p.m. tomorrow,» Maurice said.
That line tells you everything about him. He's basically giving permission to enjoy the moment, while setting a hard deadline for the work.Once the switch flips, the Panthers can't treat this like a souvenir night. Aleksander Barkov remains out and Matthew Tkachuk won't play Friday, so structure has to beat emotion, especially through the neutral zone and on line changes.
Paul Maurice sets Florida Panthers Winter Classic tone
If you're a Panthers fan, you love the humanity, but you also want the two points, no excuses, no cute memories.
Maurice even explained bonding in the most Maurice way possible.
«If you went to McDonald's every day with your team, there's no team bonding,» he said.
And the laugh is real, but the message is serious.He pointed back to last season's Finland trip as proof that shared experiences can pay off later, even if the immediate results wobble. Those «connections,» as he put it, become a cushion when a team hits turbulence.
Still, the coach didn't pretend the outcome is optional.
«Somebody's leaving here with a good feeling, somebody's not,» Maurice said.
That's the standard, you either handle the loss like pros, or you turn the night into points.That's why this mix works, joy first, then accountability. Friday in Miami can be a family scrapbook moment, but Maurice is making sure it also feels like a playoff dress rehearsal.