Former Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice explains why he decided to resign

In an absolutely stunning move, Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice announced his resignation from the team on Friday morning.

The NHL world was dealt an incredible stunner on Friday morning, as Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice announced that he was leaving the team. Mere hours before the Jets were set to hit the ice, Maurice told reporters who had gathered that he was resigning as head coach effective immediately.

It’s a decision that comes as a total surprise and caught everyone, including the Jets, off-guard. But it doesn’t sound as though it was a hasty decision and is one that Maurice has not only thought about but is at peace with.

“I know that it’s time,” Maurice said on Friday. “This is a good thing for the Winnipeg Jets and a good thing for me.”

As of his resignation, the Jets are 13-10-5 and very much in the thick of a playoff race in the Western Conference, albeit one that is still in its infancy.

Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice explains his decision to resign

According to all reports, Maurice’s family is fine and he’s in perfect health. The decision was a personal one, as Maurice explained that it’s simply hard for him to find the motivation to get up every day and do his best job.

He also noted that he didn’t feel his voice was resonating with players the way it should, and rather than spin his tires and put the franchise in a bad place he decided to walk away for his own sake and that of his locker room.

That sentiment was backed up by Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who hopes the stunning move wakes the locker room up.

After news of the resignation was made public, the Jets released a statement expressing their sadness over Paul Maurice’s decision but throwing the full support of the franchise behind him.

It’s an absolutely stunning move on a number of different levels, the most obvious being that the head coach of a major professional sports team is walking away from his team in the middle of a season. But it’s the awareness and courage of the decision that is truly striking.

Hockey is a sport that has time and time again shown an utter disregard for the well-being of its players, whether than be mental or physical. The sport oozes toxic ‘If my kids say they love me I’m kicking them out of the house’ energy, which has created an unwelcoming environment on almost every front.

So to have Maurice, who has been around the game for almost his entire life, stand up and do what’s best for his own mental well-being is an incredible gesture in a sport that has done nothing to deserve such a thing.