OT: Houston (Toronto), We Have a Problem (Babcock/Matthews)

[Zetterberg4Captain]

These aren't my words, but the words of Kypreos and Simmons.

I've seen enough of Babcock's ego.
It's not enough for him to win. He's got to win while showing what a good coach he is.
He's got his ways and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
And as good as Babcock is, he's also his own worst enemy in pretty obvious ways, like over reliance on the Abdelkaders, Glendenings, Hymans, Hunwicks, or alienatiing his top players.

Like I said elsewhere on this board, Babcock has another 1-2 years to move this team forward before he turns into a pumpkin.
If this team is still a first round loser next year...expect even more fallout.

And if players in Toronto are unhappy, the world will find out.
Compared to the meek, mousey reporters in Detroit, Toronto's reporters are a bunch of rabid hyenas.

didnt mathews play an average of 18-19 minutes during that series?

how come he wasnt better than bergeron if he is so good?

how come he let a 41 year old chara dictate the game moreso than he did?

to me, if I am asking any question(s) its those.

sure he could have played more minutes but he didnt do anything with the 19 he did get, another 3 minutes a game wouldnt have led to any different outcome in my opinion.

mathews did not play like the superstar he is/was expected to play like, leafs lose, end of story

 

[Dotter]

These aren't my words, but the words of Kypreos and Simmons.

I've seen enough of Babcock's ego.
It's not enough for him to win. He's got to win while showing what a good coach he is.
He's got his ways and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
And as good as Babcock is, he's also his own worst enemy in pretty obvious ways, like over reliance on the Abdelkaders, Glendenings, Hymans, Hunwicks, or alienatiing his top players.

I don't remember Babcock ever, even once, alienating Datsyuk or Zetterberg. Ever.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I don't remember Babcock ever, even once, alienating Datsyuk or Zetterberg. Ever.

Well than you did a good job of ignoring several stories during the last few off-seasons of Babcock's tenure in Detroit. It was pretty well out there that Datsyuk and Zetterberg were far from his biggest fans near the end of his stay.

 

[Dotter]

Well than you did a good job of ignoring several stories during the last few off-seasons of Babcock's tenure in Detroit. It was pretty well out there that Datsyuk and Zetterberg were far from his biggest fans near the end of his stay.

I guess so because I've never heard such thing. Ever.

I remember Scotty Bowman was the most hated man 364 days a year.

 

[Redder Winger]

I guess so because I've never heard such thing. Ever.

I remember Scotty Bowman was the most hated man 364 days a year.

Yep.

And that one day a year happened many, many years.

Not once.

 

[kliq]

I really don't see the issue here. Babcock is a hard ass, and he will likely make Mathews a better player for it. Matthews may hate him right now (if the story is even true which I doubt), but what player that was pushed by their coach didnt have negative feeling towards their coach at some point.

Non story IMO, its hockey.

 

[Bondurant]

I guess so because I've never heard such thing. Ever.

I remember Scotty Bowman was the most hated man 364 days a year.

Gave's book reference the Bowman comment. Over his career his players hated him 364 and collected a ring on 365.

Boss.

 

[Wingsfan 4 life]

First off, who cares?

Secondly, its Kypreos. This is what he does. Making mountains out of molehills.

 

[Sadekuuro]

Gave's book reference the Bowman comment. Over his career his players hated him 364 and collected a ring on 365.

Boss.

That quote is attributed to Steve Shutt, and it does seem to have been a common sentiment among his players.

Babcock has a whole pile of championships to go before he's even in that conversation though.

 

[Oddbob]

Toronto's best young player in decades might be sick of their golden boy coach.
That's not nothing.

Having lived in Leafs region my whole life, I can assuredly tell you, they can and will go to great lengths in the media to find any kind of reason at all for why their precious Toronto Maple Leafs got bounced from the playoffs. Not saying he loves playing for Babcock all the time, but many a player couldn't stand Scotty Bowman and played for him anyways, and there was still lots of seasons where Bowman got bounced early. This is simply Toronto media doing what they always do, blow everything way past proportion to make a chaotic situation worse, and honestly are very much to blame for the Leafs being so unsuccessful over the years, because the pressure each star player receives is insane. Kessel and Phaneuf were basically drove out of town, because they were expected to be more than they were, and when the team failed, oh it must be there fault. Also probably why Stamkos decided to stay in Tampa, instead of coming home.