Back in Toronto ahead of the Oilers’ game against the Maple Leafs on Saturday, Mike Babcock reflected on his time behind the Leafs’ bench, what he’s learned about Connor McDavid, and how Jim Hiller can handle the pressure of coaching in Toronto when the team is struggling.
How’s it feel to be back in Toronto?
Babcock: I love being here. It was a lot of fun when I was here. I enjoyed it a lot. Hanging out there in Yorkville last night for a minute was kind of nice, too. It’s a nice city, good people, good fans, good team. So it’s always fun to be back.
How do you hope you’re remembered here by those fans?
Babcock: I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about that.
I loved it. I worked with real good people. I enjoyed the heck out of my first three years here. Worked with good hockey men, and it was enjoyable. I didn’t enjoy my last year and a half as much, but that’s the business. I really enjoyed my time here.
We went from a situation where we were able to draft Auston, and then the team got better, and we made the playoffs. We set a franchise record for points. We didn’t have enough success in the playoffs, but that’s often what happens with young teams. And in the end, they gave me a five-year holiday, which I really enjoyed.
What was it like to walk into the building today? Did you see any familiar faces?
Babcock: Yeah, but this is five years ago, right? The Beatles broke up, remember?
When Toronto and Edmonton play, there are often some wild swings. The game in Edmonton might have been Toronto’s best of the year and your worst. With family, friends, and everything that comes with playing here, how do you get an even-keel performance out of your team?
Babcock: Good question. They fed us our lunch last time we played them. They were way better than us. I think every time that happens to you, you get a chance to look at your group and ask, how do you get better?
We think we can be way better than we’ve been the last two nights we’ve played, so we’re just going to try to take a step to get better. I know everyone’s all about this stuff, but the reality is we’re going to focus on our team and trying to be better.
Wherever you’re playing, you’re playing. And whatever time they make you play, you’re playing at. You’ve got to enjoy that process and getting better.
From your experience, what’s it like to coach the Leafs when things aren’t going well in this market?
Babcock: This is what I know about Jim Hiller. He’s a real good man. He’s a real good person. He’s going to work hard and do his best every day and try to help the guys win. That’s what I know.
The NHL some days isn’t kind to you, but you’ve got to be kind to yourself, and you’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing. Shut off your apps or whatever the heck you’ve got on your phone, and get on with your life. The people whose knees hit your kitchen table matter. The rest of them don’t much matter.
You said when you took the job that you wanted to have fun. Are you having fun so far?
Babcock: I’m very thankful for those guys to come to see me. I didn’t know I was going to have this much fun doing it. It’s been great. Lots of laughs. I’m enjoying the guys. We’ve got a really good leadership group. We’ve got fun people. We’ve got good pros; they have fun, and I’m having fun, so it’s been good.
What have you learned about Connor McDavid, the player and the person, in these last six weeks after watching him from afar for so long?
Babcock: We all know he’s a real good player, but he’s ultra committed, and he’s a great person. He’s a good family man. He enjoys his teammates. He shares himself with his teammates, and no one works harder than him.
And then when you put our leadership group with him… Whether you’re talking about Draisaitl or Hyman or Nugent-Hopkins, there are a bunch of them there that are just great pros who want to have success. To be around them each day is fun. I’m trying to help them get better, and they’re trying to help me get better.
How dramatically has coaching in the NHL changed since you started out?
Babcock: When I started out, we had one computer for four guys in Anaheim. When I started out, I hired a guy named Paul MacLean who had been a nine-time 30-goal scorer. Lorne Henning, four-time Stanley Cup. I didn’t even know where the dressing rooms were. It’s been a lot of years since then.
I’ve been fortunate to get to coach as long as I have and to enjoy it as much as I have, and I’m very thankful to the NHL for that. But I think everything changes, and what won last year can’t win the next year. You have to get better. It’s lifelong learning, like anything, and you’ve got to embrace it.
I think that’s where the fun is, though: trying to get better. That’s what you want to do in life, and that’s what you want to do in hockey and anything you do.
Where is this group in terms of getting better? Where do you see them now, and where can they get to?
Babcock: We’re 20 games in, so we’ve got a lot of work to do. We understand that totally. We just finished our other segment. We start a new five-game segment here. Our whole focus is to win today. What I mean by that is we’ve got a great day today. It’s a practice day. It’s an off day. I get to watch my kid’s team play against Guelph. That’s a special thing to do, and so we’re going to enjoy today.
You mentioned you’re going to see your son Michael’s Brantford Bulldogs team play against Guelph. What have you thought of the job he’s done this season?
Babcock: I’m not there. I watch the games when I can. Obviously, I think he’s smart and a good young coach. When you’re a young coach, you’ve got lots to learn. He’s fortunate. He works with Spencer (Hyman) there, and Spencer’s a real good man. Now they’ve got a bunch of kids. They’re a young, young team. They’re getting the men here tonight, so it will be interesting to see how that goes. It’ll be interesting to see how that goes.
But it’s been fun for him. If you want to be a coach, you’ve got to get on that journey, and you’ve got to get so good at the level you’re at that you can go to the next level and be good. He’s got a lot of work to do. He understands that, but he seems to be having fun.
