Rangers and Sharks head coaches share a unique, special bond

SAN JOSE — As far as hockey-world relationships go, Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan and Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky share a special one.

The Sullivans and Warsofskys were next-door neighbors in Marshfield, Mass. once upon a time.

And when Ryan was born in 1987, his parents, Mark and Dawn, asked George and Myrna Sullivan — Mike’s parents — to be his godparents.

Sullivan and Warsofsky squared off as head coaches for the first time on Nov. 16, 2024, when the Sharks ventured to Pittsburgh. Warsofsky had been promoted from Sharks assistant to bench boss before the start of last season.

The two went head to head for a third time Friday night, after the Sharks took an overtime win at MSG earlier this season.

“He means the world to me,” Sullivan said before the Rangers fell, 3-1, to the Sharks at SAP Center. “You guys know the relationship that his family has with my family, and for me to watch him climb the ladder of success in hockey is a proud moment for all of us. He’s a great young coach and all of us are just so proud of how hard he’s worked to get where he’s gotten. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that he’s enjoyed the level of success that he has at this point. He’s a really bright kid, and he’s an enthusiastic learner.

“He has drive to be a good coach. When you look at how he’s gotten here, he’s put his time in. He’s worked extremely hard at a number of different levels to try to hone the craft, so to speak, and I think he’s one of the bright young minds in the game today.

While coaching the Bruins from 2003-2006, Sullivan reportedly allowed a young Warsofsky and his brother, David, to attend morning skates and meetings. The 38-year-old Warsofsky has said it played a pivotal role in him wanting to become a head coach.

“I just try to share my experiences with him to try to help him along the way,” Sullivan said. “We all have mentors in our life that help us, where we have an opportunity to learn through their experiences. And I certainly have had those in my life when I was a young coach. There were people in my life that were trying to help me and guide me with the benefit of their experiences. I tried to do the same for Ryan. He’s a great young coach, as I said. This league is a hard league. Coaching is hard. It’s a tough job. There’s a lot involved. The strategy of the game is one thing. For me, that’s just your ticket to the dance at this level.

“It’s really about relationships and human interaction, and how do you get the most out of people and things of that nature. That’s where I think the biggest challenges lie and how you manage the relationships with your players on a day-to-day basis, and that’s a lot of what we talk about.”

As of Friday, the Rangers Alumni Classic on Sunday at Madison Square Garden is still scheduled to happen despite the impending snow storm.

Legendary voice of the Rangers Sam Rosen, who retired at the end of last season, will be back in the booth to call the game.

Adam Graves, Derek Stepan, Mike Richter, Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, Brian Boyle and Sean Avery are among the former Rangers players who are set to compete in the game.

Goalie Spencer Martin stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced in his second straight loss.