Paul Maurice makes light of Bill Zito viral water bottle throw following Game 5 loss
The Florida Panthers had an amazing opportunity on Tuesday night in Sunrise.
Florida was (and still is) one win away from a Stanley Cup championship.
Playing in front of their home fans and holding a three-games-to-one series lead, the Panthers fell behind 3-0 before ultimately losing 5-3 to the Edmonton Oilers.
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That means the Cats will now board another flight and head back to Edmonton for Game 6 on Friday night.
As the final moments of Game 5 were ticking off the clock, there was a camera focused on the suite that Florida’s front office members were watching from.
As Connor McDavid scored into an empty net during the final seconds, Panthers General Manager Bill Zito was seen picking up a water bottle and chucking it across the room.
The video has since gone viral. You can check it out in the social media post below:
On Wednesday, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice spoke with the media and was asked about Zito’s throw, to which he had no idea.
“Bill was with a water bottle?” Maurice asked, a curious look creeping across his face.
Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards explained what happened.
“Are the water bottle association people upset?” Maurice then asked, slowly starting to smirk.
“They are, I got an email about it,” joked Richards.
“Are we going to cancel Bill?” Maurice came back with, clearly amused by the banter.
The press conference then went on.
At the end of the day, Zito showing some emotion in that moment is more than a little warranted.
For a man who always comes across as a calm, cool and collected individual who carefully crafts every word he says, seeing Zito like that just shows how deeply invested each member of the Panthers is, far beyond the locker room.
Zito, Maurice and the Panthers will have their third opportunity to win the Stanley Cup when they hit the ice on Friday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Water bottles, beware.
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