Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice has already shared the secret to their consistent success. “I’m really careful, and I’m not being disrespectful to the other teams I’ve coached, but the team here is just the best team I’ve ever coached. It’s not really that close.” There is a point in his claims. After all, the Panthers are playing their third straight Stanley Cup Finals.We have all got to see how skillfully General Manager Bill Zito put together the squad. And then he kept on adding to it, improving it, plugging the roster whenever a void was created. And his most critical addition to the organization — Paul Maurice. Since the former Jets coach joined in 2022, the Panthers’ results have skyrocketed. After all they have achieved, a little praise doesn’t hurt. It is even deserving, one might add. But not yet is what the Panthers GM is saying.The man is on a mission, and he knows what’s bad for his team right now — a little pat on the back that says, ‘Job well done.’ The job’s not done yet. The objective is to retain the Stanley Cup they won in 2024. “We want to do it again,’’ Zito had said after the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hurricanes were wrapped, as per FloridaHockeyNow.Of course, that’s what’s on every Panthers player’s mind right now. That’s what Paul Maurice is thinking, Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and the others. And the GM has some advice for them. “You want to do it again. So, what can we start doing now? Don’t stop. Do not get content. Those guys, they woke up to 100 texts from everyone telling them how great they were. But it’s not over.”Credits – X / @flapanthersYes, this would be the worst time to get complacent. The players shouldn’t let the praise distract them from the fact that they are going up against a team that has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Those two alone have 26 and 25 points, respectively, in the 2025 playoffs. Closest to them is Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov with 17. Last year, the final went all the way. Every metric suggests it could be the same this time around.The problem is the Panthers’ story in the last 3 years. Finals in 2023, Cup win in 2024, and yet another dominant playoff run in 2025. People are applauding how well they are doing. Everyone is saying how good the Panthers’ chemistry is looking, how they are stepping up collectively every time. But Bill Zito doesn’t want that. No praises for his team, please. “Everyone likes it when people are kind to you and say things that are nice. But we learned. The journey isn’t over, there is work to do.”Credits: NHL.comHis point being? “Don’t let success get in your way.” By which, the Panthers GM means the praises shouldn’t go to your head. Don’t relax. Don’t underestimate your opponents. Don’t do anything contrary to the determination and commitment the Panthers locker room has shown in the last 3 playoff series. Only the best will be enough. In a way, Zito’s message isn’t bad, even if it sounds a bit harsh. These kinds of characters are important for winning. Perhaps that’s why he is a finalist for the 2024-25 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.You know why Bill Zito isn’t wrong in taking his stance? Because this is not the first time someone has deemed these praises ‘toxic’. Well, his exact words were ‘rat poison’.The famous ‘Rat Poison’ presser and how Bill Zito’s Panthers are avoiding itFootball icon Nick Saban needs no introduction. The iconic commentator has led his team to 7 NCAA Championships and 10 SEC titles over his storied coaching tenure. And boy, did he give some entertaining pressers. He is the one to coin the infamous ‘rat poison’ phrase when talking about the media. Well, the guy wasn’t diplomatic with his words. He shot straight from his heart, and he hated the misguided praises from the media.The first time he used the phrase was in 2017 when his team, Alabama, played Texas A&M. His team won 27-19, and the performance was a bit inconsistent, which Saban’s team was not known for. Even Saban agreed it wasn’t right. And he knew who was to blame. “All that stuff you write about how good we are. All that stuff they hear on ESPN. It’s like poison. It’s like taking poison. Like rat poison,” the coach didn’t hold back in the presser.Dec 30, 2023; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban during Rose Bowl media day at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports“I’m asking them are you going to listen to me or are you going to listen to these guys about how good you are?” Saban had said, really despising how the outside noise could give the wrong notion to his players. He hated the media’s power to create a false narrative, making it seem like a win is a given for his team.And this time, Bill Zito is urging his men to fight the same ‘rat poison’ noise. Thankfully, he has got elite characters like Brad Marchand, who isn’t getting swayed. This was the 2011 Stanley Cup winner’s response after they had taken a 3-0 lead in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals: “We haven’t achieved anything yet. You know, until you win everything, you accomplish nothing.”This edge will come in handy when they go up against the Oilers on June 4. Which side are you on?The post Florida GM Bill Zito Mirrors Ex-Football Coach Nick Saban to Bring Panthers to Stanley Cup Again appeared first on EssentiallySports.