Maple Leafs/Panthers series a Sault vs. Sault affair

For local hockey fans, the second-round playoff series between Toronto and Florida is a showdown between hometown products Kyle Dubas and Paul Maurice

Leafs GM Kyle Dubas (left) and Florida Panthers head coach Paul MauriceFile photos

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.

What's next?