The Toronto Maple Leafs finally pulled the trigger and fired head coach Mike Babcock. Following a six-game losing streak and only two regulation wins in the last 12 games, it was only the inevitable. Babcock will be replaced by Sheldon Keefe, who has coached the AHL Toronto Marlies since 2015, including their 2018 Calder Cup Championship. He’s been known as general manager Kyle Dubas’ “guy”, his Nick Nurse if you will. It should be exciting to see what’s next for this team.
But the transition is still bittersweet, even despite the hype. Mike Babcock came to the Toronto Maple Leafs when the team needed him most. There’s no denying that he transformed the team and laid the foundation for what it is today. Unfortunately, it was time for a change and he no longer was the correct fit for the team.
So in his honor, we’re pouring one out and reliving some of the best “Babcockisms” from Mike’s time with the team. A man of many words (sometimes of which were just strung together), here are some of the best soundbites that Babcock has ever graced us with:
“Be a Gud Pro”
We’re starting strong with a true classic, and one of Mike Babcock’s favorite descriptors. The Gud Pro™. What exactly is a Gud Pro? It’s “livin’ right, eatin’ right, partyin’ at night right.” Essentially, being a good person and making good choices, but that’s not nearly as fun to say. Babcock loved to use it to describe his veteran guys, like Patrick Marleau and John Tavares.
“Might as well just jump in”
You’re getting burned either way (especially if you’re the Toronto Maple Leafs).
“If your knees don’t hit the kitchen table…”
What Babcock was probably going for here is that the only opinion that matters is the “family” opinion. This quote came around the time the Leafs played the Islanders in John Tavares’ return to New York on the other side.
“But he comes to get ya”
Zach Hyman is not Tom Wilson, but he might be the boogeyman. He’s the reliable kind of tough that Babcock liked in a player.
“That’s what Goat does, he wins”
“These are his buddies”
“If you’re a married guy and you’ve got three kids and you can be at home with your family and skate at home, why wouldn’t you do that? But if you’re a young guy and you’re sitting in Toronto in your condo what do you do?” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “I mean these are your buddies, this is what you do. Why wouldn’t you hang out with your guys? I think mental health is so important in getting better as well as the physical part.”
Chris Johnston (Sportsnet)
Despite his shortcomings, Babcock was really big on mental health, both in general awareness and in actually checking in with his team. He really emphasized it with the team, and there were times where it really showed and paid off. It’s funny for Babcock to call out Matthews and his lack of non-Leafs friends in Toronto, but it’s also very admirable to see his recognition of what an injured Matthews needed mentally.
“Sometimes you don’t know what he’s doing”
“The country music channel and the hunting channel”
A choice pick by my colleague Luke, Mike Babcock’s advice to William Nylander is… painfully true. There’s nothing louder than Toronto media and everyone questioned if an already-struggling Nylander was cracking under the pressure. Babcock wasn’t too worried, gladly offering up his simple solution.
Every quote about big butts.
Mike Babcock is notorious in being consistent, perhaps too consistent. But that includes knowing what he values in a player. Or rather, how they’re constructed. He likes big butts and he cannot lie. And that’s all I have to add to that.
But in the end…
There really was no other choice and Mike Babcock did have to go. But there’s something admirable, perhaps in a very roundabout way, that he always stayed true to himself. I believe that he truly did want the best for the Toronto Maple Leafs and had every best intention when sticking with his gut. Maybe it didn’t work out for him in the end. But Mike Babcock has always “bet on Babcock” so stick taps to that.
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