In the weeks following Mike Babcock's departure from the Toronto Maple Leafs, former NHLer Chris Chelios has shed some light on the former coach's tactics, stating that Babcock “was a tough guy to play for if you're a veteran” in a recent interview for the Spittin' Chiclets podcast.
Chelios, a Veteran of 26 NHL seasons, spent 4 years under Babcock. He recalls a memorable early season meeting where Babcock states “you're not here to score goals, you're here to play defence and babysit Brett Lebda. If you don't like it, you can go see Kenny Holland I'm sure he'll trade you.”
At the time of Babcock's arrival in Detroit, Chelios was already in his 21st NHL campaign. Babcock was relieved of his duties as bench boss in the ‘14-‘15 season. He then took over the reigns in Toronto the following season, where he would continue to coach for another 4.25 years, until his firing in late November.
Former Detroit Red Wing Johan “The Mule” Franzen also corroborates Chris Chelios's podcast comments, going so far as to say Babcock is “the worst person I've ever met” in a recent interview. Johan also stated “I get shivers when I think about it. That was against Nashville in the playoffs (2012). It was rough, nasty and shocking. But that was just one of a hundred things he did. The tip of an iceberg.”
One detail that is quite alarming about Babcock's relentless verbal assault on Franzen - Johan was dealing with concussion issues and was severely depressed at the time. This ordeal led to Franzen suffering a mental breakdown.
I'm sure we've all had a boss or two like Babcock, but these guys are paid millions of dollars to mentor professional athletes to make them perform at a high level.
Sources: Sportsnet, Pensionplanpuppets.com
