You may take this news from the Canadian Press, via TSN, for what you will. Methinks it means that somebody’s gonna hire him:
Former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock has resigned as coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team after just one season at the helm. The Saskatchewan Huskies announced Thursday that Brandin Cote, who served as an associate coach under Babcock last year, has been named team’s new interim head coach.
Babcock joined the Huskies on a full-time volunteer basis in February of 2021 after spending 17 seasons in the NHL, including guiding the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship in 2008. He also coached Anaheim and Toronto. Babcock was fired 23 games into the 2019-20 season while in his fifth campaign with the Maple Leafs.
On the international stage, Babcock coached Canada’s men’s team to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
Babcock said in a statement that he is leaving the program in good hands with Cote.
“I’m excited for Brandin and his family. He is prepared to be a highly successful coach,” said Babcock, who coached Cote with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs. “I believe he will elevate the Huskies play and profile even further. I look forward to seeing him continue down the path of what promises to be an incredible career.”
Continued; something tells me the inevitable redemption story arc is coming, with a bit of a PR campaign whenever an NHL team inks Babcock to some sort of coaching or developmental role.
It is what it is.
I know I’m super cynical, but the first question I have is — when does Babcock’s 8 year contract expire? If my math is correct, it seems that the upcoming season is his last year (see https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/maple-leafs-sign-coach-mike-babcock-to-reported-50-million-contract/).
Absent any first hand knowledge, using the superpower of cynicism alone, I’d say this is the year he does a low paid consultant/scout role for any buddy that will have him (who is the GM of Edmonton Oilers again? I keep forgetting).
This will allow him one year for the mea culpa tour, and to rehabilitate himself in time to coach next year.
I’m with you, Martin, this is when he gets a “hockey operations” job with some NHL team whose front office has a buddy of a buddy…
And then he does the tour.
Makes lots of sense.
Hey George,
I guess I’m in the minority when it comes to Babcock. I think some people mistakingly think Babs is/was guilty of some racist, sexist, or worse some criminal behavior that recently have cost other NHL coaches their jobs (And Rightly So). Babs may have been arrogant, condescending, and “mean” to some players. Also scratching guys on opening night like he did in Toronto may make him a bit of a Jack A** , but that’s not against the law. I wasn’t in the room when supposedly was “abusive” to Johan Franzen, so I’ll take chelios’s word as evidence. Anyway, my long-winded point is, Babcock may be gruff and a hard to live with coach, but so was Scotty Bowman. Most players hated Scotty also. Babcock I think will get another job because he is a good coach and has proven it. Everyone eventually wears out their welcome. I just think What Babcock did was equivalent to what Quinvell did (or didn’t do) in Chicago, and it isn’t even close. Quinvell should NEVER get a sniff at the NHL again.
DB,
We’re totally allowed to disagree. Babcock was a putz, but no, he did NOT do any of the sort of things that a coach like Joel Quenneville did and/or did not in Chicago.
If anything, I’m just frustrated because we know how this redemption arc goes. First the coach has to “go away” for a while, then he does some time coaching at the community level, and then he comes back, contrite, and the slate is wiped clean, no matter how poorly he once behaved. Celebrities who are scorned deal with the same sort of spiel, and it aggravates me.
So no, Babcock will not be some sort of public menace if he coaches again, which is probably less “if” than “when” at the NHL level.