BABCOCK WAS KEY IN LANDING MARLEAU FOR MAPLE LEAFS
Toronto coach bullish on speedy San Jose veteran for years, writes Mike Zeisberger.
As he was mentally slogging through the free agent contract offers he had received, endless thoughts in Patrick Marleau’s head were swirling around faster than one of his trademark end-to-end rushes. Logan Couture could tell. In communicating with his friend and longtime San Jose Sharks teammate during the opening hours of free agency, Couture quickly became aware of the torturous experience his pal and mentor was going through.
Money. Tenure. Playing in his native Canada. Uprooting his family. So many factors.
Marleau would eventually decide to bolt the Left Coast and sign a three-year US$18.75 million deal with the Maple Leafs, a pact that will see him locked up into his 40s.
And while that third year certainly played a role in his ultimate choice, both Couture and Sharks coach Pete DeBoer point to another key deciding point. Just call it The Babs Factor. It’s no secret how much Leafs coach Mike Babcock values the talents and leadership of Marleau and another longtime Shark, Joe Thornton. They both won Olympic gold while playing for Canada under Babcock, Marleau doing it twice as part of the 2010 and 2014 Winter Games champions.
Babcock’s efforts to woo Thornton to Toronto this summer fell short, but the same could not be said for his influence in landing Marleau. And both Couture and DeBoer will tell you that.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why Patty decided to go there,” Couture said Wednesday at Glen Abbey, where he took part in the 25th annual NHLPA golf tournament. “He knows what type of coach (Babcock) is. He knows (Babcock) gets the best out of his teams. And that’s the main thing that Babs does, he gets the best out of players who play for him.” How? “He approaches each player differently,” Couture explained. “Good coaches are able to do that. There are guys who need to be yelled at to react, and there are guys who need to be quietly approached separately. He knows how to approach each guy’s personality.”
Couture got a taste of Babcock’s coaching on and off the ice as a member of Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. As for DeBoer, he’s lined up enough times across from Babcock on the opposite bench to understand the impact the Toronto bench boss can have.
Asked if Marleau’s familiarity with Babcock, and vice versa, made the prospect of a marriage with the Leafs more comfortable for the unrestricted free agent, DeBoer replied “Yeah. Of course. One hundred per cent.
“Any time we’re bringing in new players, there’s some discomfort because watching them on tape isn’t the same as standing behind the bench coaching them,” DeBoer said in a phone interview with Postmedia Wednesday night.
“The fact that Mike has coached him before and relied upon him in those wins I think makes it easy for Mike to say: ‘I know what this guy can do.’”
DeBoer makes no secret of the fact that the loss of Marleau is a significant hit to the Sharks. And for those who feel the Leafs made a mistake in handing out a contract to a player who will be 41 when the deal expires, the San Jose coach argues that Marleau reminds him of another ageless wonder he’s coached, Jaromir Jagr.
“They have different skill sets of course but they both have world-class attributes,” DeBoer said. “Jagr is still incredible at protecting the puck, holding onto it and using his body to do it. Patty’s forte is his speed. But what they share is that they’re both in such good shape, take care of themselves, still love playing the game and are Hall of Famers.
“Everyone said Jagr was done when I had him at 40 and four years later he’s still going strong. As for Patty and his power and speed, I don’t see that diminishing. It’s so effortless.
“As long as he keeps that world class element to his game, he’s going to be effective.”
“Like Jagr, I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren that I coached Patty. It was an honour. He’s a true pro and a great guy to work with.”