Can the Apprentice beat the Master? Rod Brind'Amour will face his old coach Paul Maurice in Game 1 of ECF tonight

Paul Maurice and Rod Brind'Armor will face off again in an epic clash during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

When Rod Brind'Amour decided to attempt coaching in 2011, he had just finished a 21-year NHL playing career. The former captain of the Carolina Hurricanes, who served as Maurice's assistant coach for seven of his 10 seasons there, moved behind the team's bench at the age of 41.

The two coaches will bring more than just familiarity to the ECF when the Hurricanes take on the Florida Panthers. Each has proven to be among the best coaches in the NHL.

52-year-old Brind'Amour has guided Carolina to the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of his five seasons, and four of those teams have made it through the first round. With the fourth-most in NHL history, Paul Maurice, 56, has coached 1,766 regular-season games in his first season with the Panthers.

He led the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings in five games.

When he returned to Carolina for a second time, he led the Hurricanes to the 2009 Eastern Conference Final, before the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated them in four games.

Currently, in his 25th NHL season, Paul Maurice will be coaching in his fourth conference final. In the 2018 Western Conference Final, his Winnipeg Jets were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

Although the two coaches have gained plenty of insight into one another, it will soon be time to set aside their admiration for one another.

"I don't want to be sitting here throwing a love fest. I've got to beat him," Brind'Amour said with a smile. "Everyone expected [the Panthers] to be where they're at. It just took them a little while to figure it out."

Paul Maurice and Rod Brind'Armor know the routine all too well

Head coach Paul Maurice of the Florida Panthers

This season, the Panthers, who the previous year won the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the NHL, received the second Wild Card from the East to the playoffs. The Metropolitan Division was won by the Hurricanes.

Florida beat Carolina 3-0 on Nov. 9th in the first of three regular-season meetings between the teams. However, they suffered losses of 4-0 on Dec. 30th and 6-4 on April 13th.

Paul Maurice is attempting to lead Florida to their first Cup Final since the Colorado Avalanche swept the team in 1996.

It will be a heated battle between the two teams. Both teams know each other well. In a 7 game series, nothing is hidden.