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Paul Maurice said his firing on Wednesday morning as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs did not come as a surprise.

"I don't think, based on the season we just had, that this was a surprise," Maurice said, adding that his immediate plans are "to hang with my kids."

"I appreciate the fact it was clearly a decision they made and they didn't sit on it for a long time. I don't know that it was a shocker. It's a conversation you never want to have. The first [firing] is the toughest one. After that, you're in the fraternity," Maurice said.

Under Maurice, the Leafs never made the playoffs, falling short in both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons after late rallies. He finished with a 76-66-22 record with the Leafs in his two seasons as head coach.

However, the timing of Maurice's firing came as a surprise, since Leafs interim general manager Cliff Fletcher said last month after the NHL regular season ended that Maurice's fate would be up to the incoming GM. Maurice, 41, had one year left on his contract.

"This is a start of a new era for the Maple Leafs," Fletcher said at a news conference at the Air Canada Centre. "This is all part and parcel of that."

Also fired was assistant coach Randy Ladouceur, a close friend of Maurice. Ladouceur has a year left on his contract as well. The fate of his other assistant coaches, Keith Acton, Dallas Eakins and Steve McKichan remains up in the air.

There was speculation Maurice approached Fletcher about departing now, which would give him more time to look for another job. But Maurice said it was not his idea, that Fletcher delivered the news Wednesday morning.

"No, I didn't have any contact [previously]," Maurice said. "Cliff just called, we met briefly and that was it."

When asked about the timing of the announcement and why Maurice lost his job, Fletcher said the move will pave the way for the new management team to bring in its own staff.

"The team missed the playoffs the last two years," said Fletcher. "A new regime is coming in place and I think when you bring in a new regime they bring their own people. It's just common sense."

It also does not appear Maurice's firing is a signal the Leafs have a new GM ready to take office. Sources say the search committee of Peddie and Toronto sports lawyer Gord Kirke are not in position to make a choice yet.

Maurice's future was uncertain since Peddie and MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum fired John Ferguson as GM in late January.

Ferguson hired Maurice to coach the Leafs' farm team, the Toronto Marlies, on June 24, 2005. One year later, Ferguson promoted Maurice to the Leafs job when he fired head coach Pat Quinn.

Maurice started his coaching career with the Carolina Hurricanes organization. General manager Jim Rutherford appointed him head coach at the age of 28 when the team was known as the Hartford Whalers.

Maurice took the Hurricanes to the 2002 Stanley Cup final, where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings in five games. He was fired early in the 2003-04 season when the team got off to an 8-12-8-2 start.

After he was fired by Rutherford, Maurice worked as a broadcaster for Rogers Sportsnet. He said it is too early to think about any future plans.

"I'm in a good situation," he said. "Contractually, I'm in a position where I don't have to worry for a while. I don't know that it's in my nature to worry. I'm going to take some time to think about it."