Speculation: Mike Babcock fired by the Leafs, should we take him back?

Should we take Babcock back?

  • Yes - fire Blashill and bring Babcock back at this season, if Babcock gets fired

    Votes: 33 11.7%
  • Yes - keep Blashill for rest of the contract and bring Babcock back later, starting at 2021

    Votes: 14 4.9%
  • No - keep Blashill for rest of the contract, and make coaching change at 2021

    Votes: 118 41.7%
  • No - fire Blashill and bring in some other coach.

    Votes: 118 41.7%

  • Total voters
    283
  • Poll closed .

2xJack

Registered User
Apr 19, 2019
203
117
Then Yzerman picked Babcock to coach Canada not once but twice. And Shanny went on to hire him to coach the Leafs.

Yzerman played for Scotty ****ing Bowman. You think he couldn't deal with Babcock?

I never heard anything substantiated about Babcock being a factor in Yzerman's retirement, but feel free to provide a link.

Good luck with getting a link. We're talking about something that almost happend, but didn't, 15 years ago. That predates twitter even. I doubt there's anything to find, the internet wasn't what it is now back then.

However, I remember the rumors from the time quite well. Hull retired in October and there was a month of speculation that Yzerman was next. You could also see it in his body language. Multiple people are saying it was a factor because it is true. Babcock was clearly not the only reason, or even the primary reason, for Yzerman's retirement. But it was a factor. His knee was always the biggest issue.
 

vladdy16

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
2,551
375
It's an unjustified presumption that just because someone has the title of GM, whoever gave them that title is going to let them pick the coach.

The fact that that seems to be the only line of defense for supporting Babcock through his Gadaffi moment, is pretty telling imo.

Hopefully we can get back to being an actual Hockeytown. We got up our own butts around year 2000, and have not recovered since. This story is a prime example of how far we strayed, to try and maintain.
 

vladdy16

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
2,551
375
Good luck with getting a link. We're talking about something that almost happend, but didn't, 15 years ago. That predates twitter even. I doubt there's anything to find, the internet wasn't what it is now back then.

However, I remember the rumors from the time quite well. Hull retired in October and there was a month of speculation that Yzerman was next. You could also see it in his body language. Multiple people are saying it was a factor because it is true. Babcock was clearly not the only reason, or even the primary reason, for Yzerman's retirement. But it was a factor. His knee was always the biggest issue.

Yzerman was clearly concerned about the readiness of the team and specifically the goaltending situation, heading into a playoffs that were primed for depth, talent and pedigree to carve through it.

At this point it's hard not to see Osgoods unusual usage rate, and subsequent injury struggles, and then return to form later on, as an indication that he was swept up in a power play that the coach is now notorious for.
 

Richard Gibson

Registered User
Dec 5, 2018
702
355
Prashanth Iyer
@iyer_prashanth

Conflicting info for sure - Colaiacovo noted that on "multiple occasions", Wings vets approached Holland about Babcock - Holland says no one approached him about "abusive behavior" from Babcock - Holland doesn't discuss what he did when he heard about the Franzen incident
 
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Ricelund

̶W̶e̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶t̶e̶a̶m̶
Apr 16, 2006
8,712
4,617
New York, NY
Hopefully we can get back to being an actual Hockeytown. We got up our own butts around year 2000, and have not recovered since. This story is a prime example of how far we strayed, to try and maintain.
You mean 2010?
 

MBH

Players Play
Jul 20, 2019
13,497
7,298
SE Michigan
redwingsnow.com
Then Yzerman picked Babcock to coach Canada not once but twice. And Shanny went on to hire him to coach the Leafs.

Yzerman played for Scotty ****ing Bowman. You think he couldn't deal with Babcock?

I never heard anything substantiated about Babcock being a factor in Yzerman's retirement, but feel free to provide a link.
 

Richard Gibson

Registered User
Dec 5, 2018
702
355
”Den värsta personen jag någonsin träffat”
Several NHL profiles have accused Mike Babcock of harassment.
Now Johan Franzén talks about the horror period of the former Detroit Red Wings coach - who eight years later still shows up in the nightmares.
- I was terrified of being in the ice cream parlor. He is a terrible man. The worst I've ever met, he says.
Share article
 

Roomba With a Bauer

Registered User
Sep 11, 2007
4,170
2,616
”Den värsta personen jag någonsin träffat”
Several NHL profiles have accused Mike Babcock of harassment.
Now Johan Franzén talks about the horror period of the former Detroit Red Wings coach - who eight years later still shows up in the nightmares.
- I was terrified of being in the ice cream parlor. He is a terrible man. The worst I've ever met, he says.
Share article

I would also be terrified of meeting Mike Babcock in the ice cream parlor.
 

MBH

Players Play
Jul 20, 2019
13,497
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SE Michigan
redwingsnow.com
One of the great stories in the Chelios interview:
Babcock tried to sit Chelios for the game at wrigley field, Chelios' hometown. Chelios went to Holland and Nill and after lots of arguing, Babcock agreed to play him.
Chelios plays the first shift and doesn't take the ice again. Ass't coach McCrimmon comes to tell him Babcock told him not to use him again.
Chelios is looking over at his sons and his sons are drinking beer. His sons begin giving Chelios beer on the bench.
Late in the game, McCrimmon asks Chelios if he's ready for a shift. Chelly, evidently has a nice buzz going, so he says no f***ing way.
 
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The Zetterberg Era

Ball Hockey Sucks
Nov 8, 2011
40,957
11,577
Ft. Myers, FL
The site is glitching. I am trying to post a tweet about Franzen calling Babcock the worst person he has ever known.

He also highlighted things he did well as a coach in a couple different instances which I thought was interesting.

That always seemed to highlight how the Wings news would leak on Babcock. It was clear they didn't like him, but most guys were willing to play for each other and adhere to his systems. I think it is probably the professionalism of the room he had in Detroit, but even in an article where he calls him the worst human being, he talks about his attention to detail and other actually semi-flattering comments.

I actually think it makes it even better or more damaging to Babcock. This isn't Commodore or Fraser celebrating or anything. It is a guy talking about how miserable he made him even while they were winning and accomplishing great things.
 
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Pavels Dog

Registered User
Feb 18, 2013
19,736
14,704
Sweden
Well, Barry Trotz has more playoff series wins with the isles than Babcock's entire Toronto tenure. And he did it in one season. And to add to that, Trotz did with an Islanders team that lost their big franchise player that offseason. Mike Babcock meanwhile inherited that player and still couldn't do better than Trotz's Isles.
Barry Trotz has done great with the Isles but it's one playoff series win. Against, imo, a much weaker team than what Toronto faced in the Bruins. Isles also got swept in the second round by, again, a team that's weaker than the Bruins.

Some of the stories about Babcock are ugly, no doubt. Did he cross lines? Maybe. But I don't think this is unusual when you're dealing with the highest level of competition. Babcock as a coach is probably no different than a skater who plays with an edge and sometimes throws a hit that just doesn't land right or gets frustrated and throws a suckerpunch. It doesn't make it okay but talk about Babcock not getting another job is crazy imo.
 

kliq

Registered User
Dec 17, 2017
2,727
1,319
Barry Trotz has done great with the Isles but it's one playoff series win. Against, imo, a much weaker team than what Toronto faced in the Bruins. Isles also got swept in the second round by, again, a team that's weaker than the Bruins.

Some of the stories about Babcock are ugly, no doubt. Did he cross lines? Maybe. But I don't think this is unusual when you're dealing with the highest level of competition. Babcock as a coach is probably no different than a skater who plays with an edge and sometimes throws a hit that just doesn't land right or gets frustrated and throws a suckerpunch. It doesn't make it okay but talk about Babcock not getting another job is crazy imo.

There is truth to this, I just watched a video (see below) with Steve Kerr where he said that Michael Jordan punched him in the face during practice because he was frustrated with him. I think this is more common then we realize when you are dealing with the best of the best in sports.
 

SuperScript29

Registered User
Nov 17, 2017
2,069
1,673
Honestly, now is probably the best time to get Babcock. With the light shinning hard on him like this, he's bound to make changes to his attitude, and the way I see it, he's probably the best coach available.
 

TheOtherOne

Registered User
Jan 2, 2010
8,265
5,257
He also highlighted things he did well as a coach in a couple different instances which I thought was interesting.

That always seemed to highlight how the Wings news would leak on Babcock. It was clear they didn't like him, but most guys were willing to play for each other and adhere to his systems. I think it is probably the professionalism of the room he had in Detroit, but even in an article where he calls him the worst human being, he talks about his attention to detail and other actually semi-flattering comments.

I actually think it makes it even better or more damaging to Babcock. This isn't Commodore or Fraser celebrating or anything. It is a guy talking about how miserable he made him even while they were winning and accomplishing great things.
I mean the guy was a professional at the highest level, no matter what comes out you HAVE to assume he has some skills that qualify him for the job. He interviewed and beat competitive candidates at every level to get promoted up the ladder. That doesn't make him not a shithead.

If he had ZERO redeeming qualities whatsoever he never would have got anywhere, he'd probably have had to run for potus or something instead.
 

FMichael

Registered User
Dec 22, 2010
5,042
4,946
Wisconsin
”Den värsta personen jag någonsin träffat”
Several NHL profiles have accused Mike Babcock of harassment.
Now Johan Franzén talks about the horror period of the former Detroit Red Wings coach - who eight years later still shows up in the nightmares.
- I was terrified of being in the ice cream parlor. He is a terrible man. The worst I've ever met, he says.
Share article
Am I the only one looking at that article, and thinking it should be read out loud by this guy?


220px-The_Swedish_Chef.jpg
 

kliq

Registered User
Dec 17, 2017
2,727
1,319
Honestly, now is probably the best time to get Babcock. With the light shinning hard on him like this, he's bound to make changes to his attitude, and the way I see it, he's probably the best coach available.

I was thinking the same thing, but without that edge I wonder if he's the same coach? Either way, since the Franzen stuff came out, I think even the casual Red Wing fan would be against it at this point.
 

Henkka

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
31,077
12,078
Tampere, Finland
Babcock would be nice as an assistant. I think we could use his smarts, just put some out-clause there for personal behaviour.
 

Oddbob

Registered User
Jan 21, 2016
15,766
10,308
No, by the year 2000, "champagne" was basically added as our third color. By 2010 we were well beyond the pale.

Not sure what you are talking about. After 2000 we won 2 more Cups and were a game away from a 3rd Cup.
 

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