NEW YORK -- Sidney Crosby vs. Auston Matthews.
Evgeni Malkin vs. John Tavares.
The Penguins' center depth vs. the Maple Leafs' center depth.
Even if Matthews hadn't wrecked his shoulder last week versus the Jets, there is never a shortage of compelling storylines in any matchup between the Penguins and Toronto, like Saturday night's at PPG Paints Arena.
The most intriguing matchup, however, won't be on the ice. It will be behind the benches.
Mike Sullivan vs. Mike Babcock. Sully vs. Babs.
In a recent ESPN.com poll, a "select group of writers and talent" was asked to rank every active coach or manager in the four major North American pro sports leagues as who they would prefer to run their mythical pro franchise.
Not surprisingly, Babcock and Sullivan were the only two NHL coaches to rank in the top 10, checking in at Nos. 7 and 9, respectively. That places them among giants of sport such as Bill Belichick (No. 1), Steve Kerr (No. 4), Gregg Popovich (No. 5) and Terry Francona (No. 8).
Crosby, who won two Cups with Sullivan and a pair of Olympic gold medals with Babcock for Team Canada, certainly agrees. He says in style and substance, Sullivan and Babcock really aren't all that different.
"They're both pretty clear as far as what they expect as far as the team is concerned, and what they expect individually," the Penguins’ captain told DKPittsburghSports.com. "That's what you want as a player: Just to have that clarity and understanding of what it is that is expected of you."
Riley Sheahan, who played for Babcock in Detroit and for the last two seasons under Sullivan in Pittsburgh, concurs. He says they're the two best coaches he's ever played for at any level.
"I think behind the bench, just the way they manage the game, I think their knowledge of the game is pretty similar," the Penguins' third-liner was telling me. "They have a way of getting the best out of their players. Fortunately for me, I've had both of them. I've learned a lot from them and credit a lot of the success of my career to them."
Babcock, 55, has led his teams to 13 playoff appearances in 15 seasons, winning the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008. It's that resume that earned him an eight-year, $50 million contract in 2015 to coach in Toronto, the self-styled Capital of the Hockey Universe. With Matthews and Tavares in tow, Babcock is expected to help the Maple Leafs end their 51-year Stanley Cup drought.
"I think he's honest," was Sheahan's assessment of his former coach. "He gives you a kick in the ass when you need one but, at the same time, if you’re playing well and playing the right way he rewards you. I think that's the way it should be. He's pretty fair across the whole team. He doesn't let a lot of stuff slide. I think he's a great coach in that aspect."
Sullivan, 50, has reached the postseason in four of his five seasons, guiding the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and '17. He joined Scotty Bowman, Glen Sather, Al Arbour and Fred Shero as the only coaches in the post-expansion era to successfully defend the Cup.
Sheahan says that Sullivan, like Babcock, gets the most out of his players by demanding accountability.
"I think it's hard for coaches to be honest with their guys," Sheahan was saying. "Some times you let things slide. I think those guys do a great job at keeping guys accountable and holding them to a standard. That's why the organizations have been successful and those coaches have been successful."
While the hockey world debates "who's the best player" in the game, is there a best coach argument? Is there a rivalry between coaches?
"I don't know that coaches have rivalries," Sullivan was saying before Thursday's game against Barry Trotz's Islanders at Barclays Center. "I think teams have rivalries and that's usually based on familiarity, and usually it's based on playoffs."
Obviously, the Penguins have faced Trotz in postseason play before, three years in a row to be exact. But Trotz's new team, despite a strong start and a sweep of Pittsburgh in this week's home-and-home series, isn't his old team.
The Islanders will be fortunate to make the playoffs, but you might as well pencil in the Penguins and Maple Leafs. A Pittsburgh-Toronto playoff series, with a healthy Matthews against Crosby, would be good for the game.
Indeed, a Sullivan vs. Babcock matchup would be hockey gold. But the games are still won on the ice, not behind the bench. Both coaches, Sheahan surmised, would want it that way.
"I'm sure they want to be the best, those two are right up there," Sheahan was saying. "I'm sure there's a little extra happiness when you come out with a win against the opposing team. But, at the end of the day, each coach just wants the team to be successful."
Crosby says that he's never gotten the impression that Sullivan wanted to beat any particular opponent or any coach. Sullivan, he says, wants to win them all.
"Games always have different feels and different motivations but that doesn't necessarily seem like that's one of them," he said.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins vs. Islanders, New York, Nov. 1, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
