Despite a lot of people apparently feeling differently, at least one of Mike Babcock's former players felt he was a great coach. Nazem Kadri, who was traded to Colorado this past offseason for Alex Kerfoot and Tyson Barrie, told reporters he wasn't happy to see Babcock get fired earlier this week after four and a half years with the Leafs.
"Tough to see. I think any team that is struggling, looking for a spark and a change. I personally think Babs is a great coach. He's helped that team over there get to the next step. They felt like it was a time for a spark," Kadri said.
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Kadri was there for four years of Babcock coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs and, from his comments, it seems he was happy with him. Kadri's feelings seem to be in stark contract to some others. The Athletic quoted a source shortly after Babcock was fired saying 90 percent of the current members of the Toronto Maple Leafs were relieved to see him go. Meanwhile, Mike Commodore, who played under Babcock for part of a season in Detroit, was absolutely elated with his firing, calling him a fraud and a prick. Former NHLer Mark Fraser backed up Commodore's comments, saying "95 percent of his players can't say a good thing about. With the ability to end players' careers, he's chosen to do so to long serving vets that have resulted in all his players turning against him. He's used his power to turn teammates against each other."
Chris Chelios has also expressed his dislike for Babcock. In an interview in March of this year after Joel Quenneville was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks, Chelios said he hoped he would land a job with Toronto, making it clear he'd like to see Babcock fired. Chelios also would have played under Babcock in Detroit.
As for Kadri, the only member of the Leafs' management he has expressed any anger towards is GM Kyle Dubas. In an interview this week, Kadri stated Dubas gave him a 45 second phone call to tell him he'd been traded to Colorado.
"I felt like maybe I deserved a little bit better after 10 years. I was a little bit bitter afterwards," Kadri said.
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