Paul Richard Mara (born September 7, 1979) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defender, and current head coach of the

Boston Pride The Boston Pride are a professional women's ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are one of the four charter franchises of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), formerly the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL; 2015–2021). The ...

in the PHF (formerly NWHL). He was selected 7th overall by the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

in the

1997 NHL Entry Draft The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was the 35th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1997. As of 2022, the only remaining active player in the NHL from the 1997 draft class is Joe Thornton. Selections ...

, and went on to play 12 seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Playing career

Amateur

As a youth, Mara played in the 1993

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from cla ...

team from the South Shore. After playing two seasons of high school level hockey in Massachusetts for

Belmont Hill School Belmont Hill School is an independent boys school on a campus in Belmont, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The school enrolls approximately 440 students in grades 7-12, separated into the Middle School (grades 7-9) and the Upper School (grad ...

Paul Mara joined the

Sudbury Wolves The Sudbury Wolves are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) ice hockey team based in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Sudbury has had various hockey teams competing at the Junior ice hockey, junior and senior ice hockey levels of the game k ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

for the 1996–97 season. As part of a three team trade with the

Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975� ...

Mara was traded to the

Plymouth Whalers The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated to Flint, Michigan. History The Whalers ...

on December 16, 1997. In reflecting on his move from high school to

Junior hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

Mara said, "It was the best decision of my life, to go up to Sudbury."

Professional

Mara was drafted in the first round, 7th overall, in the

by the

. He spent two seasons between the Lightning and their IHL affiliate team the

Detroit Vipers The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their mascot was a polar bear named Vipe-bear. History Beginning The Vipers were originally formed as the Sal ...

before being traded to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

in 2001. He played 81 games with the Coyotes in 2003-04. During the

2004 NHL lockout 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

, Mara joined the

Hannover Scorpions The Hannover Scorpions are a professional ice hockey team, which plays in the Oberliga, Germany's third tier ice hockey league. They previously played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1996 to 2013. History Founded in 1975 as ESC Wedemark, the ...

of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called "PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga") (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a German professional ice hockey league and the highest division in German ice hockey. Founded in ...

. After the lockout, Paul Mara scored a career high 47 points that year. On June 26, 2006, he was traded by the Coyotes to the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

for fellow defenseman

Nick Boynton Nicholas Carl Boynton (born January 14, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Black ...

. On February 27, 2007, Mara was traded to the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

for Aaron Ward. On July 4, 2008, Mara re-signed with the Rangers for one year at $1.95 million. On July 10, 2009, Mara signed with the Montreal Canadiens. On September 16, 2010, Mara signed with the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

for one year at $750,000. After appearing in 33 games with the Ducks to start the 2010–11 season, on February 16, 2011, Mara was traded by the Ducks to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2012 5th round draft pick. He took a brief break from hockey during the 2011-12 season. On September 26, 2012, Mara signed a one-year contract with the

Ontario Reign The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Ontario, California, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings, the team plays i ...

of the ECHL. On January 9, 2013, Mara signed with the Houston Aeros (1994–2013), Houston Aeros after the team became short on defensemen due to a combination of injuries and the end of the NHL lockout. PaulMara

Coaching career

Mara was the assistant coach of the Ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Women's tournament, 2018 Olympic United States women's national ice hockey team. On May 30, 2018, Mara was named head coach of the PHF's (formerly NWHL)

. He is currently the head coach with the most wins in PHF history, and one of only two coaches to win more than 30 games. Mara became the first coach in PHF history to win 50 games in November 2022.

Personal life

Mara was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey and despite his birthplace, he is of no relation to the family of Wellington Mara, who were known for their ownership of the NFL's New York Giants. Mara was raised in Belmont, Massachusetts. His older brother, Rob Mara, was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in eleventh round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

International play

Mara was a member of the 1996–97, 1997–98, and 1998–99 United States IIHF World U20 Championship, World Junior Championship teams. He also played for the United States at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 2004 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mara, Paul 1979 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Anaheim Ducks players Boston Bruins players Detroit Vipers players Hannover Scorpions players Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Ice hockey coaches from Massachusetts Ice hockey coaches from New Jersey Montreal Canadiens players National Hockey League first-round draft picks New York Rangers players Ontario Reign (ECHL) players People from Belmont, Massachusetts People from Ridgewood, New Jersey Phoenix Coyotes players Plymouth Whalers players Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sudbury Wolves players Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Tampa Bay Lightning players Belmont Hill School alumni Premier Hockey Federation coaches Ice hockey players from New Jersey Ice hockey players from Massachusetts