TORONTO — Mike Babcock scoffs at the notion that he simply shows up to coach the Canadians and they keep winning best-on-best games, a streak that has run to 14.

“I think that’s what you guys think,” he bristled at reporters.

Whatever anyone thinks, Babcock has helped Canada win gold at the last two Olympics and he has the team rolling into the best-of-three World Cup of Hockey finals against Team Europe, with Game 1 tonight.

His counterpart, meanwhile, is simply happy to have a shot to coach hockey again. Ralph Krueger wasn’t sure if he would have another chance to be behind a bench after being fired a few years ago by the Edmonton Oilers via Skype while sitting on his daughter’s bed. He was let go after the Oilers went 19-22-7 during the lockout-shortened season.

While still reeling from the blow, he got an opportunity to bounce back — from Babcock. He asked Krueger to help the team as a consultant at the Sochi Games and they became friends, attending non-hockey events at the 2014 Olympics and swapping water skiing stories in recent years.

“Mike called me 12 hours later to ask me to come to the Olympic Games with Canada, so that’s Mike Babcock,” said Krueger, a Canadian who has known Babcock since 2004.