Did you listen to the clip? These would be strange stories for Dean Brown to fabricate. Keep in mind these are 1st hand accounts too from someone who tours with the team and has a good relationship with a lot of the staff and players.
Maclean leaned on his vets but that doesn't mean he was incapable of being a ****** to them off the ice.
None of the vets were complaining about ice time, they were complaining about a lack of direction, an old and crappy system and a general disrespectful attitude towards the players.
I'm not saying it's all 100% accurate but I don't see any reason to think these were lies.
We saw how much better the exact same roster was under Cameron. This story does not seem like Brown is just saying negative stuff about Maclean.
It is a big reason I think the Leafs getting Babcock is a horrible, awful mistake. He is a jerk to players and arrogant. And relies on vets tremendously. While a great coach... He is going to be challenged tremendously with young players, a bad team. Easier to coach a vet-laden Wings team or Team Canada then a rebuild.
Old school coaching is really fading away.
I feel like Babcock will quit or get fired after 2/3 years and Toronto will eat 10's of millions of dollars.
Tyrant like coaches do not fly anymore. Players tune them out and are not interested in being motivated by sarcasm, derision, and autocratic nature.
Maclean, Babcock etc are not the crazy tyrants like Keenan or anything... But still far more old school then what can work for more then a short term basis.
Will Maclean or Babcock adapt and change? We will see.
Babcock should have gone to a vet team needing a boost and a challenge. Like say San Jose or Anaheim and for 2/3 years. Despite the ridiculous money... Really feel Babcock in a rebuild... With weak minded vets... Is a clusterf... Waiting to happen. Zets, Datsyuk, Kronwall are far different mentalities then Phaneuf/Kessel... If those guys stay... Motivating them through threats and draconian coaching seems to me to be a horrible idea. You might need to hold Kessel's hand.. Not strap his hand.
Glad I am not a Leafs fan.
Cameron might have seemed underwhelming when given the coaching spot... But now he looks really good. Openminded, honest, genuine, caring, supportive, communicative... Those seem like attributes of Cameron and not of Maclean. Heck Murray has been around forever and they describe him too. That is the recipe in the league today. If say Anderson, MacArthur, Karlsson, Phillips... Anyone can offer insight on a tactic, strategy, a particular players tendencies... Even practice drills... Listening to it and considering it is wise. Being a jerk and having a draconian my way or the highway mentality won't fly for that long... Especially with young guys that need confidence not fear of losing their jobs.
Some things Maclean did were masterful. He messed the Canadiens and their coach over... But if you lack soft skills... You can manipulate all you want... At some point the roster if million dollar players on guaranteed contracts don't want to be treated like children... They want to be respected and treated like adults.