They could, in some ways, not be more different.
After all, they come not only from different leagues, but from different sports.
Practically different worlds.
One is associated with sunny summer days, the other with cold, Canadian winter nights.
But the coronavirus pandemic that disrupted the NHL season and delayed the start of Major League Baseball's brought the coaching staffs of the Penguins and the Cleveland Indians together to share insights and exchange ideas, allowing them to find common ground in a couple of sports that, at first blush, could not seem to be more disparate.
They have interacted online several times in recent months -- "We've had a number of Zoom meetings," Mike Sullivan said -- and, along the way, forged bonds that might well last long after some semblance of normalcy has returned to their respective sports.
And it almost certainly would not have been possible had events in hockey and baseball followed a relatively normal course in recent months.
But the pandemic gave both staffs an opportunity to grow, and both embraced it.
"It was a great learning experience, I think, for both sides," Sullivan said. "One of the things we talk about as a coaching staff is, how do we get better as a coaching staff during this unusual circumstance? It afforded us an opportunity to do things that we normally would never have time to do, so we were seeking opportunities outside of our hockey world that could help us continue to grow and develop as coaches, both as individuals and as a staff."
Stretching those boundaries led Sullivan and his assistants to the Indians, a connection Sullivan credited to "mutual contacts."
It was, from all indications, a partnership that both enjoyed, and from which both benefited. Oh, it's not as if Sullivan was seeking input on when he should bring in a left-handed reliever, or Cleveland manager Terry Francona will be trying to work out an effective goalie rotation, but the staffs did discover plenty of common ground. And perhaps a few fresh ways of looking at old issues.
"We had a lot of fun," Sullivan said. "We developed good relationships with these guys and we talked about everything from process -- how we go about our business every day -- to managing people, and how to get the most out of guys. The thing about pro sports is, even though the games are played differently, there are a lot of shared challenges and we tried to identify those and have discussions around those.
"Then you hear different vantage points and different aspects about how people do things. It was a worthwhile experience. We're still doing it with them. I don't know how much longer it's going to last, but it's something I know that our coaching staff has really enjoyed."
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