Rod Brind'Amour reflects on controversial handshake line conversation with Paul Maurice

Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour addressed a controversial handshake line incident with Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice after the Hurricanes' elimination in five games during last month's Eastern Conference Final.

Following the series, as players lined up for the traditional handshake to demonstrate sportsmanship, Maurice declined to participate and requested that Brind'Amour also refrain from shaking hands with the Cats.

In a recent discussion on "The Cam and Strick" podcast, Brind'Amour shared his thoughts on the incident, noting that Maurice emphasized the handshake line being for the players, not the coaches.

Reflecting on it, the Hurricanes coach later expressed regret during his end-of-season press conference, stating he should have joined the handshake line to show respect.

(0:20 onwards)

"You know, I think about it now. I got asked about it at our end-of-the-year presser, and I’m like, you know what? I should’ve went in the line, because that’s what I wanted to do. It’s about showing respect. It has nothing to do with anything... But we’re in it with the players. I don’t care what anyone says — even though I’m not out there, we invest in it. I care about these guys. It’s just full respect. That’s it," Brind'Amour said.

He acknowledged respecting Maurice's stance as the winning coach:

"I’m a grown man. I’ll make my own decisions moving forward. But I adhered to him because he had won. I felt like they won, so they get the right to do it. But now, after taking a step back and had time to think about it — that’s not going to happen again," he added.

Paul Maurice opens up about his decision not to shake hands with Rod Brind'Amour

Paul Maurice later explained his decision to skip shaking hands with Rod Brind'Amour, stating that coaches should not participate in the postgame handshake with players.

“I don’t believe that the coaches should shake players’ hands at the end,” Maurice said. “There’s this long list of people in suits and track suits. We had like 400 people on the ice. They’re all really important to our group. But not one of them was in the game."

Meanwhile, Maurice is guiding the Florida Panthers through their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, aiming for consecutive championships. His team holds a 2-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena.