Maurice has coached the the third-most games in NHL history, behind only Scotty Bowman and Barry Trotz

Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice will hit another milestone tonight.

When the Florida Panthers meet the Lightning in Tampa Bay, Maurice will become only the third man in NHL history to coach 1,800 games.

He’ll join legends Scotty Bowman, who coached 2,141 NHL contests, and Barry Trotz, who had 1,812 games under his belt.

While yes, it’s hallowed ground that Maurice walks on, he still is quick to point out that he doesn’t consider himself to be in their company for one very big reason.

“Well, I’m not yet because they’ve got those rings,” Maurice said Wednesday. “It’s been a great lifetime of association with some really fine people. I’m mindful of that.”

Earlier this season, Maurice hit what many consider a fairly large milestone in his extensive coaching career.

On Oct. 16 when Florida faced the New Jersey Devils, Maurice was behind the bench for his 1,769th game, which moved him into third place on the all-time games coached list.

In terms of number of seasons coached in the NHL, Maurice is also third on the all-time list, currently coaching his 26th season as head coach in the best hockey league in the world.

Only Bowman, who coached 30 season, and Dick Irvin with 27, have more than Mo.

As for all-time wins as an NHL head coach, Maurice currently sits sixth on the list with 836.

For what it’s worth, Maurice isn’t overly impressed with hitting 1,800 games.

“It's just kind of an unusual number, it's just kind of sticking out there in the middle of nowhere, right? It's not a milestone necessarily. It's a path,” he said. “I think the people around you are more aware of it. My brother called me and told me, so there's two or three people that are close to me there are on top of those things. I don't spend a whole lot of time on them.”

Maurice is in his second season with the Panthers, so far earning a record of 61-44-10 through 115 games with Florida.

He also led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final during last season’s playoffs. 

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