Paul Maurice reveals reason behind animated discussion with Canes HC away from players' handshake line 

After the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 5 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had an animated discussion with Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour away from the traditional post-series handshake line.

Maurice later shared that he requested Brind’Amour to skip the handshake line, wanting the moment to belong solely to the players on the ice.

Postgame, Maurice explained:

"It's a personal belief. I don't believe that the coaches should shake players' hands at the end. I don't. I don't know where it changed. When I first got in the league, you would never go shake the players. I don't know when it changed, but I don't think it's right.

“I asked him (Brind'Amour) not to (shake hands with Panthers players), and he understood it," he added.

Maurice explained that he values the visual of the handshake line focusing solely on the players — those who played, blocked shots and fought for each other. He believes it’s a moment that belongs to them, not to the extra people in suits who weren’t part of the battle.

"There's something really kind of beautiful about just the camera on those men who played shaking hands. And we should respect that,” he added.

The coach added that he believes the handshake should be an intimate moment between the players who battled for the ultimate prize. He seems intent on preserving the purity of that tradition and keeping the focus where he believes it belongs.

Paul Maurice on Panthers' 5-3 win against Hurricanes

The Panthers got goals from Matthew Tkachuk, Evan Rodrigues, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell. Sebastian Aho netted a pair for the Hurricanes while Seth Jarvis chipped another one.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves to help secure the win, while Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen turned aside 17 shots in the loss.

“That was all the elements that make our sport great. They're all over us. And we’re serving up pizzas and we don't look like we should’ve made the playoffs, and then the next thing you know we look pretty good,” Maurice said in his postgame press conference.

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The Panthers are now headed to the Stanley Cup Final. They’ll face either the Edmonton Oilers or Dallas Stars. Edmonton currently holds a 3-1 edge in the series, with Game 5 set to be played Thursday in Dallas.