Paul Maurice Reponds To Accusations Of Fishing For Bruins Penalties
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery went viral for his impersonation of Panthers players during Game 5.
The Boston head coach believed Florida was diving and overacting in an attempt to get B’s players called for penalties and set up power-play opportunities.
Maurice didn’t address that accusation after Game 5, but he did in his news conference Thursday.
“Well, I think the first call was the only embellishment call of the series. I don’t think it was a penalty, the cross-check,” Maurice told reporters, per Florida Hockey Now. “But we gotta be careful about that. So I understand when the ref called that, I was like, eh, because he threw himself on the board. I think that’s why that one got washed out. I would say I’m accepting no calls from the pot.”
You can take that comment however you want to interpret it. Maurice notoriously has a dry humor and goes off the beaten path in his approach to news conferences.
It’s possible Maurice might have thrown the accusation back at Boston, but the Bruins chose to move on from the bizarre officiating in the series and are looking ahead to try to win Game 6 at TD Garden on Friday.