While Sault Ste. Marie native Paul Maurice got to fulfill a lifelong dream by hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last year, another Saultite has been recognized for his efforts in covering the story.
Former SooToday reporter Alex Flood won silver in the Canadian Online Publishing Awards’ Best Daily News/Sports Coverage category for his behind-the-scenes look at the Maurice family’s gripping experience watching their relative reach hockey’s holy grail.
For Flood, who’s now a reporter with TorontoToday, being recognized for his coverage is “an unexpected but tremendous honour.”
“I'm incredibly grateful this story reached the number of people that it did,” he told SooToday.
“The Maurice family is the epitome of hard work and perseverance, and their devotion to hockey and the sacrifices they made for the sport had to have been so relatable to so many households in the Sault and across Canada.”
When the Panthers coach gave a nod to his hometown moments after winning the Cup, Flood said his editor, Michael Friscolanti, suggested reaching out to the Maurice family, and he ultimately got in touch with Maurice’s brother, Shane, and parents, Denis and Dolores.
“In their 80s, Maurice's parents kindly provided more than an hour of their time at their kitchen table,” Flood said.
“They shared many stories and memories of their kids in the Sault's hockey scene, and they were so proud of Paul's long-awaited achievement.”
For Flood, whose parents live “about a two minute walk” from Maurice’s, the story gave him a great sense of local pride.
“The tennis courts at Snowdon Park where the family would watch players like Gretzky and Coffey play street hockey — I also enjoyed those courts countless times over the years,” he said.
“I almost felt this sense of pride knowing I got to grow up just a few doors away from the people who raised a future Stanley Cup winning coach.”
While Flood admitted he was cheering for the Edmonton Oilers in last year’s cup final, meeting the Maurice family changed his tune on the Panthers’ win.
“Some stories have a way of writing themselves, especially when you feel personally connected to the piece as a storyteller, and this was a perfect example,” he said.
“I was rooting for the Oilers to win the Cup last year, but after meeting the Maurices, I was so glad Paul and the Panthers held on to win Game 7. Their family is one of the many reasons why the Sault is the best hockey town — anywhere.”