Mike Babcock On His Time With Maple Leafs, Incidents With Players & What Went Wrong 

I wish she would have asked him this question " Why, in a meaningless game, did you not dress Modano in his last game when he was looking to reach 1500 game played ? Modano finished at 1499... That one is tough to answer..other question she should have asked...Chelios back in Chicago for the winterclassic..Babcock didnt want to dress him, Holland said you need to play him his family is in the stand. He dressed him and played him...one shift ! That could have been a tough question to answer.

Ah forgot to ask him why he scratched Mike Modano before his 1500th career NHL game. His career was ended (by Babcock) at 1499 games played.

I once met Mike Babcock as he was walking down Dundas and Richmond with London Knights personnel heading to Budweiser Gardens Arena. When I stopped at the crosswalk next to him and realized i was standing next to him, i was super polite and kept the conversation short and sweet by wishing him good luck in Toronto. He didn't even make eye contact as I spoke to him, but instead gave me the side eye and said thanks bud and walked off. Prior to meeting him, i always thought he seemed like a douche, but after meeting him pretty much sealed the deal.

Some players not only hated Babs as a coach, but also as a human being.

Love how he referred to himself in the third person... and then brings up mental health! Narcissistic much? You even created a mini me in Babs Jr down in Detroit!! Blash needs to go sit beside you in the corner.

"He played great under Mike Babcock" Is it that hard to say "He played great for me"? This guys ego is NEXT LEVEL.

Wait did he just say the Leafs tanked to get Matthews?

"Terrible man, the worst person I've ever met" -Johan Franzen Which was corroborated by former teammate Chris Chelios He’s “clearing the air” to the wrong people.

Plenty of bullies think it’s insane that they’re accused of bullying. Particularly in the work place.

There’s something severely wrong with people that refer to themselves in the third person.

What people have to understand is, in every profession, there will be a sociopath in there somewhere. And many more of them in higher positions of power. Just listen to this guy. Off the charts narcissist personality is right infront of your eyes.

"Tonight, on another episode of softball questions..."

"Will I ask another rhetorical question? Absolutely I will"

I just want to point out that Mike Babcock,the man who “didn’t know what mental health was” did some post-graduate work in sports psychology.

Tough to watch. Babs is one of the best speakers I have seen but instead of taking responsibility for the Franzen situation he blames it on Franzen’s mental health issues. WTF.

4:30 Babs admits to the leafs tanking for Auston Matthews

“I knew when Lou left I was getting fired” are you sure it wasn’t the fact you haven’t gotten out of the first round in 8 years? Lou didn’t even hire Babcock lol what a dumb thing to say.

he still thinks he didnt REALLY do anything wrong

When a guy talks about himself in the 3rd person it's not good. Ask Mike Commodore about Mike Babcock and his bullying. This guy lies through his teeth. I have played for coaches like this before. They have the Napoleon complex and have huge egos and abuse the power of their position. They only want players that kneel at the altar of their power and their decrees like they are some sort of Caesar. If you are your own person they cannot handle that and you will be the target of their narcissistic behaviour. I usually am good at spotting people like that. ON the other hand one of the best and warmest coaches I ever met ....one that you would give your heart and soul to play for was Badger Bob Johnson. He came and met our team when we played an exhibition game against his Wisconsin team. He was waiting for us at the Zamboni door where the bus pulled up. In 5 minutes of us players talking to him you could tell he was a genuine knowledgeable empathic person. He asked about our team ...our league and we asked him loads of questions which he responded in a very open and honest way. Our coach was no where to be found. He had such a big ego he didn't like us all standing around admiring Badger Bob. No one would ever do that for him. I am sure no one would do that for Mike Babcock either. Later on I met Danny Quinn an NHL player who played for Bob Johnson and he confirmed all the positive things I thought about Badger Bob. You don't have to be a jerk to be a good coach. I think Al Arbour was like that too.

Hm - the guy refers to himself in the third person constantly. That's really all you need to know about the guy. What a tool.

Oh boy this is a BOLD video to post

lost respect for this guy what he did to spezza and how he didn't play him during the playoff year.....

So they made sure they finished last to get Matthews? This is a whole new controversy. Oh my.

He's kinda like a narcissist or something the way he treats other people and talks about himself in the 3rd person

Under the radar with all of this, he admitted to tanking for Matthews.

He will always be a big baby

Rehab My Image Tour, as Mike Commodore refers to it.

Say whatever about Babs. At least he was right about Matthews and Marner. It was tough love to force them to become better hockey players and challenged them to do so instead of giving the stars whatever they wanted. It makes sense now

He sat out Modano so he couldn't get his 1500 game in with the red wings....Modano always a great player.

Mike Babcock is basically an HR guy now

Why is Sportsnet milking this?

"We went from making sure we finished last to get Auston Matthews"......Have to give Babcock huge credit for pulling this off and will always be thankful to him for it

Now we need one of these for the Columbus incident

This reporter is far too concerned with her acting skills and not with asking real questions!

... everyone needs to listen to the Mike Commodore interview about babs.... The river runs deep. This comment section is not wrong.

Not right before the leafs game 🤦‍♀️

Man; does he come off as a jerk.

He’s got a point about yzerman and shanny hiring him ...they knew who he was

Sportsnet is embarrassing

Everyone is high and mighty and it always comes crashing down on them.

Every time he lies he looks down to the right.

Babcock was leading Buffalo along thinking he would be the next head coach, but at the last moment, Shanny swooped down and snagged him.

Guy really trying to get another job in the NHL huh?

Sounds like he’s still in protection mode for his character and not in the owning up mode

Mike Modano.

He makes me sick. Not 1 NHL player has or had anything good to say about him.

That's an impressive sized ego

Love to see a competent psych eval on Babs. I'll even chip in.

Mike are you drunk?

Babcock Makes Torts look Good thats saying something poor Kids

You know, the overbearing Nolan music in the Torts interview was a little overkill, but some horrifying ambience in this would have been fitting.

Get this guy some eyebrows

4:30 "Making sure we finished last" ?? You tanked? Jeez Babs...

He bullied that interview.. that was awkward

He just flat out admitted the Leafs made sure they got last place to secure matthews lmao

With just a coaching change the leafs did much better. What's that tell you??????

I paid a fortune to fly to Vegas from the U.K. to watch what turned out to be his last game in charge. He was honestly a pretty bad coach given the team he had. He talks about himself in 3rd person too. Muppet!

this ain’t the NFL, bud. Ends don’t justify means in this sport

I almost made two minutes. Can't do it. He's not taking responsibility - he says he is - but to defer back to try and mansplain his way out of everything? Nope. Sorry Mike. This is all on you. Say your 'sorry's' and move the hell on. Otherwise you're making this worse for you and everyone else involved.

He's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trumpish "great talk"

This is a damning interview and you can tell he’s uncomfortable as hell. Him saying “I didn’t know what mental health was” is the biggest line of bullshit, he studied sports psychology for Christ sake.

Look it, yes Babcock created a bad environment and may very well have impacted players poorly. I just can’t attribute all the things people do to Mike being an arse. Mike came from an era where things were different and while I gather hindsight is always 20/20, the game appears to have passed his style.

Scotty Bowman was here

Who's here after he got fired from the Jackets?

This guy was such a big crack head the last 3 years of his career. Wanted him to work out but the Leafs are too fragile.

Of course bullies are not self-aware and will excuse their actions.

Why even interview him ?

Would love if Babs came back to the Leafs if we fire Keefe.

Anyone else here after the news of his hiring in Columbus? Thats not gonna work - although I'm happy to hear that Laine will be uncomfortable. Cant stand him.

Players hated playing for him. Columbus must be crazy in hiring this guy.

Hes my neighbor, always bitches about me having a fire in my backyard

That sounded honest

well well well, what have we here. wonder if Columbus management saw this one

Anyone here after the leafs lost in 7 to the habs

Can deny and turn it any way he'd like. Fact: He has not been re-hired in the NHL since.

Hold up, Lou left in summer 2018 Babs got fired November 2019 You're telling for more than one full season Babs knew he was gonna get sacked by Dubas? Well damn, maybe that explains some of his decisions. He was trying to get fired faster for a bigger severance!

Great nice to know that I been right all along and Teams do lose on Purpose sometimes and as for the cruse on the Leafs it's BS Probably huge pay outs to never win a frist round and lose in the same fashion each year wow I could believe it unreal how else is it explained able oh Leafs just have the wrose luck ever and can Never win a game 7 no matter who they play come on 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

You know what... Babcock was right look at how weak the Leafs are folding over and over again in round 1

Hello people!!!! Does anyone remember jason speeza an his 1000 game that Babs did not dress him in against the team that drafted him the senators!!!! Remember!!!! Spezza for sure thought he wad gonna play his 1000 game in ACC against like i said his former that drafted him in front of his family and friends an instead spezza was a healthy scratch!!!! Mind boggling how that jerk!!!! Babcock refused to play him SMH!!!!😢😢

I hope he never coaches again in the nhl

Lameless and gutless interview - typical Hockey Night in Canada/ Sportsnet garbage - ask a tough question and the Franzen one isn’t it

Hockey version of the Whiplash movie

I'm not a Babcock fan but it's the same old Leafs with a new player friendly coach and still no playoff success😆what does that tell you about the core players making the big bucks with no results..this team with the over paid under achievers will never Ever win a Cup!! Mental toughness is not in their DNA

Made sure they finished last? Wtf?

take bab out of his surname

He got fired again ; -D

PSA - 4:30 "we made sure we came in last to get auston mathews" proceeds to compare michael jordan championships to the millennial Toronto maple leafs HAHAHA what a joke

Good luck in the future, Babs.

Hes a good ole sasky boy And if you guys think he screwed you in Toronto,thats how us Westerns feel everyday,having to put up with the east.

the Marner and Leafs situation is not even my focus. it is the BS he pulled with former players well before the Leafs. Like Mike Commodore and former players do not hold back for a second on this guy. Funny enough I think he is a good coach and will get a job, maybe even as soon as next year.

Props to Christine, she literally is not holding back at all. I really appreciate her asking the hard questions that we actually want to hear.

Wow this guy has issues, just the way he reasons out what he did.

Nice of him to finally admit to the world that the loser leaf's tanked on purpose to get Matthews.

GONE!!!!

He looks pretty good right now. Maybe he was right about the work ethic thing

Soft world today, people will say the most and throw dirt on his name like they know him.. Treating him like he did something criminal when no ones perfect. As for the Leafs, he was a big part of a sequence of events (along with Shanahan, Lou and obviously the Matthews lottery pick) that changed the outlook of the franchise that exists today. Put some respect on his name.

Accused the leafs of tanking puposely fo r matthews....

I still think he’s a world class coach!

I think the Leafs should bring him back ? 2nd chance.