FELLOW COACHES CAN THANK BABCOCK FOR THE BIG BUCKS
Claude Julien owes a tip of the cap and maybe a whole lot more than that to his friend Mike Babcock for the US$25-million deal he just signed with the Montreal Canadiens.
And he’s not alone in the coaching fraternity.
When Babcock left the Detroit Red Wings for Toronto, he did so with more than one intent in mind. He wanted to change the salary structure for the head coach in hockey. He wanted it more in line with what coaches are paid in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball. He wanted to be the difference-maker — not just behind the bench — and he did considerable research to establish a new paygrade for a coach in the National Hockey League.
Babcock is paid US$6.25 million per season with the Leafs and signing that deal, he absolutely obliterated the previous marks. And with it has come a difference. Julien is second on the list now at $5 million a season. Alain Vigneault is at $4 million per year in New York. Darryl Sutter, Dan Bylsma and Todd MacLellan in Edmonton come in at $3 million. Joel Quenneville signed a three-year extension worth around $6 million per year last year in January.
There are still some NHL coaches, like Bill Peters in Carolina and Jeff Blashill in Detroit, below the $1 million level. But there aren’t many.
Babcock established a new high-water mark for coaching salaries in hockey when he signed in Toronto. The whole fraternity should be buying him lunch — and maybe a whole lot more.
THIS AND THAT
Babcock has never won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. He may not win this year with John Tortorella and Bruce Boudreau being the leading candidates. But if the Leafs make the playoffs, he should at least be a finalist . ... An impressive aspect of Babcock: How the Leafs adjust in second games against teams they get blasted by. Got crushed by the Islanders in Brooklyn, came back and beat them badly in Toronto; got crushed by the Blues 5-1 in St. Louis, came back and lost 2-1 in overtime at home; got crushed 6-3 by the Stars in Dallas, came home and beat them 3-1 handily at the Air Canada Centre. That’s good coaching . ... Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are back, which means, beware of the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers are 4-1 with Barkov and Huberdeau in the lineup against mostly strong Western Conference teams . ... Where is it written that goalies can’t play back-to-back games in the NHL anymore? Hell, Glenn Hall played 502 straight. In the ’80s, playoffs used to be four games in five nights. Goalies used to do it all the time. Why not now? ... The forever debated Jake Gardiner was the 17th pick in the 2008 NHL entry. But if you look back, at least half the players selected before him, including Leafs’ choice Luke Schenn, have not matched Gardiner as an NHL player.
HEAR AND THERE
This is how it works early in spring training. Player shows up. Player has story written about him. Player talks about wanting to have great season after troublesome year. Player ignores all the contentious questions as if they don’t exist. The sun shines. Everything and everyone is optimistic . ... This is how it works in baseball business now: If you’re a free agent middle reliever or setup man with great numbers, you get big money in free agency. But if you go to arbitration, the way Dellin Betances of the Yankees did, you lose out because you don’t save games. Arbitrators love saves ... Unless he changes his game considerably, can’t see Justin Smoak in the Jays’ everyday lineup. Figure Steve Pearce will end up playing more first base than Smoak. ... Mat Latos has been about as popular as acne in some of the major league clubhouses he’s inhabited. Jays are hoping he has something left other than his shining personality . ... John Gibbons has some interesting decisions to make on his everyday batting order. Where do you hit Jose Bautista? Can you afford to bat Josh Donaldson second? What about the switch hitter, Kendrys Morales? I figure 7-8-9 is the easy part and should have something like Pearce or Smoak, Kevin Pillar and either Ezequiel Carrera or Melvin Upton Jr. in those spots.