Yahoo sports’ Jacob Stoller reports that yet another former Red Wings player is speaking out about his experiences under former Wings coach Mike Babcock:
Three days after Mike Babcock stepped down as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jakub Kindl detailed how difficult Babcock made life for him in an article titled “Seventh Defensemen,” which he published on a Czechia news site titled Bez Frazi.
While Kindl, who spent parts of nine seasons in the Detroit Red Wings organization, lauded some of Babcock’s coaching abilities — such as his game-day preparation — he didn’t shy away from explaining just how miserable Babcock made life for him.
“I wasn’t his favorite player from the beginning, and even though (Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland) liked me, Babcock seemed to constantly test what I could handle and he let me know that he didn’t like me as a player,” Kindl wrote. “I couldn’t stand him as a person.”
The 36-year-old retired defenseman recounted sequences where Babcock ostracized him.
“I saw him making jokes with the others, but with me, he barely exchanged a few words,” Kindl said. “If he did, it was to humiliate me. For example, he once put me on the right side of the defense, and I was looking at the lineup in disbelief. He was just passing by and heard me, so he looked at the lineup and said, ‘Yeah, you’re on the right side. You have trouble playing on the left, and I’m making it harder for you, right?'”
Continued; Kindl’s story in Bez Frazi is available in English.
