The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Mike Babcock, widely considered to be one of the best coaches of the modern era. The Maple Leafs made the announcement on Twitter, noting that Toronto Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe would be taking over immediately.
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Babcock's first NHL head coaching job was with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2002. Following the lockout of 2004-05, Babcock declined an extension with the Ducks and signed on as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, where he would have his best years. He won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2007-08 and Detroit was a constant Cup contender for most of his years there. He joined the Leafs in May of 2015, taking over a struggling team and helping usher in a new era for the rebuilding club. Under his guidance, the Maple Leafs went 173-133-45 in 351 regular season games over the course of parts of five seasons, as well as an 8-12 record in three consecutive post-season appearances.
Despite being named a Cup contender at the beginning of the season by many analysts, Toronto is off to a dismal start, with a 9-10-4. Babcock's latest loss came just last night as Toronto fell to Vegas 4-2
