By Chris Wahl via Western Hockey League

Former Swift Current Broncos head coach and general manager Todd McLellan recently celebrated an NHL milestone.

The Los Angeles Kings head coach appeared in his 1,000th game as an NHL bench boss last week, becoming the 31st coach in NHL history to achieve the feat.

McLellan collected 250 wins behind the bench in Swift Current during a six-season stint that began in the fall of 1994. His Broncos Clubs won 44 or more games in three of those six seasons, winning a trio of division titles in the process.

The product of Melville, Sask. was awarded the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Top Executive in 1996-97.

He also captured the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL Coach of the Year in his final season in Swift Current in 1999-2000, a year in which the Broncos finished with 101 points.

Upon leaving the WHL, McLellan coached in the IHL (Cleveland) and AHL (Houston) before joining the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach in 2005. He won a Stanley Cup in his final season in Detroit in 2007-08.

He was named the head coach of the San Jose Sharks in June of 2008 and spent seven years with the Club.

McLellan also coached the Edmonton Oilers for parts of four seasons before joining the Kings in April of 2019.

Internationally, McLellan served as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2000 IIHF World Junior Championship.

He was the head coach of Canada’s gold medal-winning entry at the 2015 IIHF World Championship and also coached Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

This season, McLellan has led the Los Angeles Kings to a 38-24-10 record, good for second place in the NHL’s Pacific Division with 10 games remaining in the regular season.

As a player, McLellan spent four full seasons in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades from 1983-87, registering 164 points (66G-98A) over his time in the Bridge City.

He was selected in the fifth round of the 1986 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, appearing in five NHL games with the Club during the 1987-88 season.