Was It Mike Babcock’s Fault the Maple Leafs Players Quit on Him?

As the conversation went back and forth, ex-Maple Leafs’ head coach Mike Babcock’s name came up. A group of commenters made the case that Babock should not have been fired by Dubas to hire Keefe. The point was made that Babcock’s record and accomplishments spoke for themselves.

Others pointed out that, during Babcock’s last season, the team had a losing record and had quit on him. The retort was that the team had set points records and made the playoffs under Babcock’s coaching. Then, the comment was made that it wasn’t Babcock’s fault if the players refused to play for him. Instead, that was on them as players.

A Long Way Around to the Question: Was It Babcock’s Fault the Players Didn’t Play for Him?

The truth is that, during the 2018-19 season, the Maple Leafs finished third in the Atlantic Division with Babcock as their coach. The team’s record was 46-28-8 record. They lost in the first round of the playoffs.

But, the 2019-20 season didn’t begin well. Whether or not it had anything to do with Babcock making newcomer and veteran center Jason Spezza a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs’ season opener against the Ottawa Senators in October 2019, who knows? But it didn’t likely help.

As the team started the 2019-20 regular season, it looked unmotivated and didn’t play well under Babcock’s coaching. After 23 games into the season, the Maple Leaf had a losing record of 9-10-4. When they went on an extended six-game losing streak, Dubas stepped in and fired Babcock. He then hired Keefe to become the team’s coach.

The team immediately went on a winning streak and play much better hockey. After the first game Keefe coached in Arizona and the team won the game 3-1, he was presented with the puck by the team. Probably because it was his first victory, but might it also have had a deeper significance?

When a Team Quits on a Coach, Who’s Fault Is That?

Dubas fired Babcock because the team wasn’t performing well with him as the coach. It seemed the team tired of his style and didn’t want him as the coach. The serious question is whether that’s on Babcock or on the players.

In the Maple Leafs’ history, Punch Imlach had an infamous history of abusive and bullying behavior. I’m not accusing Babcock of either of those things. But I do believe his players quit listening and wanted a new voice. When it came in Keefe, they responded.

Recently, the rumor is that a similar thing occurred in Boston with the Bruins’ now former coach Bruce Cassidy. The rumor was also that, after the season’s end during exit interviews with players, things were revealed that made Bruins’ general manager Don Sweeney let Cassidy go. What these were one can only speculate.

Babcock Is Probably a Hall of Fame Coach, But …

The first truth is that Babcock is probably a Hall of Fame coach. The second truth is that the Maple Leafs as a team was playing awful before he was let go. The third truth is that, since Babcock left, the team has played exceedingly well during the regular season under Coach Keefe.

But there’s a fourth truth. That’s that the team hasn’t won during the postseason. Is there a fifth truth for Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe? Must he win the Stanley Cup to keep his current job in Toronto?

We will soon see how the season goes.

My Answer to the Question in the Title

To answer the question whether it’s Babcock’s fault or the team’s fault if they quit playing for him. I don’t know the answer. Probably it’s a mix.

But I would say that, from my own very personal perspective, Babcock as a coach could not motivate the players to sacrifice more or push harder to win. Quit or not, Babcock couldn’t do what Keefe has done to find that extra push in the players.

That’s on Babcock, and it’s to Keefe’s credit.