Some background info on the incident that is believed to have caused a rift between Paul Maurice and Francois St. Laurent
After Tuesday's loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had some choice words for the officiating post-game. In his statement, he was quoted saying:
"I don't know what the hell those guys were doing tonight, but it wasn't Florida Panther-friendly. I just explained to them that it had nothing to do with my players, it had to do with me and a relationship that I have with one of the referees. That's what that was all about."
The relationship he is referring to is his history with referee Francois St. Laurent. The animosity between the two dates back to when Maurice was the head coach of the Winnepeg Jets in 2016. In the second frame of a game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Jets, Jets center Bryan Little suffered a severe injury, leaving the game with two fractured vertebrae after a hit from Anton Stralman.
Maurice was furious about the hit and as he returned to the bench, the interaction first started with a staring contest with the official, followed by intensified comments towards the officials. St. Laurent then proceeded to eject Maurice. Once Maurice had left the bench, St. Laurent could visibly be seen laughing afterwards. Take a look for yourself below.
This altercation (in 2016) cost Maurice a $5,000 fine for the heated exchange and Maurice believes that's where the hostility between the two began. Adding to the flare, St. Laurent has since officiated numerous Panthers games this season, with the possibility of the two crossing paths once again sometime before the season ends.
To no one's surprise, the league announced today that Maurice would be fined $25,000 for his comments after Tuesday's loss to the Leafs. In November, we saw Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour fined $25,000 for the inappropriate conduct towards an official. More recently, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was fined $25,000 for demeaning conduct towards officials.
