It’s not easy to be a coach in Canada
Babcock was never going to be good enough despite his track record of coaching success
Somewhere along the way, Mike Babcock apparently forgot how to coach. According to a lot of angry fans — and members of the media — who were more than happy to shovel dirt on the twotime Olympic gold medal-winning coach as he was kicked out of town on Wednesday, he apparently never knew how to coach. At least, he couldn’t coach here. The list of complaints about Babcock was seemingly endless. He was too stubborn. He had too big of an ego. He was too old school for today’s game. He couldn’t adapt, couldn’t teach and couldn’t figure out what was wrong and how to fix it.
He simply wasn’t a good coach. Of course, no one is a good coach when they get fired. Especially not in Toronto, which has become the NHL’S version of Shutter Island, a place where legendary coaches arrive with Hall of Fame resumes and leave wondering if their earlier successes were a figment of their imagination
It’s not just Babcock. Whether it’s Pat Quinn or Paul Maurice or even Peter Horacek, this city is full of millions of part-time coaches who believe they know how to run the power play better than the man behind the bench.
When Ron Wilson arrived in Toronto in 2008, he was the alltime winningest American head coach. Four years later, fans were chanting “Fire Wilson!” after former GM Brian Burke blamed him for steering the proverbial 18-wheeler off the cliff. He never coached another game in the NHL.
Randy Carlyle had been introduced as a Stanley Cup-winning coach whose brand of no-b.s. hockey was considered the gold standard when he replaced Wilson in 2012. He qualified for the playoffs in his first full season. Two years later, his disregard for analytics had him branded as a dinosaur in a league that had passed him by.
That the same happened to Babcock was not unexpected. It didn’t matter what he had accomplished with Toronto. It was his present failures — after just 23 games, no less — that doomed him and his legacy.
It’s something new head coach Sheldon Keefe has to be aware of as he takes charge. After all, this isn’t the same as coaching Toronto’s minor-league team. This isn’t even the same as coaching in the U.S. The expectations are larger in Canada. As well, the leash is considerably shorter.
There have been far more disappointing teams this season than the Leafs. The San Jose Sharks, who reached the conference final last year, have the second-worst record in their division. But Pete Deboer still has a job. So do Minnesota’s Bruce Boudreau, Nashville’s Peter Laviolette, Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan and Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper.
Put those teams in Toronto and those coaches would all be out of a job. Put them anywhere in Canada and the same might be true.
Bob Hartley was fired in Calgary a year after winning the Jack Adams Award. Paul Maclean was given the boot in Ottawa two seasons after being named coach of the year. John
Tortorella lasted just 82 games in Vancouver before he was run out of town. There’s less patience here. But it’s more than that.
It’s not just about making the playoffs. It’s not even really about winning. The Canadian fan is educated enough and cares enough that he or she is looking at the minutiae, whether it’s breaking down the penalty kill or parsing the minutes for thirdline players. It’s about results. But mostly it’s about growth.
The Leafs didn’t show enough growth under Babcock. Sure, he was coming off back-to-back 100-point seasons and three straight playoff appearances. In each of the last two years, the Leafs lost in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins, who last season reached the Stanley Cup final.
Most teams would consider that a success. For years, it was treated that way in Detroit. But in Toronto, it was an example of being stagnant.
“It is different. There is no doubt about it,” Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd Mclellan,
who was fired by the Edmonton Oilers last season, said a couple of weeks ago when he was in Toronto.
“I was blessed to have coached in Canada. Somehow, some way, every coach should find a way to a Canadian team. It doesn’t matter which one. It’s different. It just feels different, it’s treated differently. The passion level in L.A. is very high for the team, but you can go for dinner and quietly enjoy it. In Canada, you’re always on. There’s no moment where you’re not involved in hockey in some way, shape or form.”
When asked about Babcock, Mclellan laughed.
“Babs knows exactly what he’s doing, so you guys lay off him,” said Mclellan. “He’s doing a good job out there.”
He was doing a good job. And in Detroit, a good job might have kept him employed for the duration of his contract. But in Toronto, good was simply not good enough.