Torn about who to cheer for in the Leafs vs. Panthers series? We sympathize.
The second-round playoff match-up, which kicks off tonight, is truly a Sault Ste. Marie affair — with both teams featuring some hometown leadership.
The general manager of the Maple Leafs is Kyle Dubas, a one-time change room attendant for the Soo Greyhounds who worked his way up to the top job in Toronto. (His head coach also happens to be Sheldon Keefe, a former Hounds bench boss.)
On the other side of the ice is Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, a member of Sault Ste. Marie’s Hockey Hall of Fame. Drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1985, he went on to be much more successful behind the bench than on it — eventually becoming the youngest person in NHL history to coach 1,000 games.
Leafs vs. Panthers? More like Sault vs. Sault.
Too bad the series can't end in a tie.