MIKE BABCOCK REDUX
When Mike Babcock was signed by the Maple Leafs four-and-a-half years ago I mentioned to one of my friends, a former NHL coach, that I thought it was a good move. He cautioned me that it might turn out not to be. When I asked why, he said something along the lines that Babcock’s ego and stubbornness tended to wear on people, which became obvious during his tenure with the Leafs. So some of the criticism being levelled at him since he got fired is not surprising.
But I was absolutely gobsmacked at the revelation that Babcock had Mitch Marner, a rookie at the time, rank his Leaf teammates’ work ethic, and then revealed the results to the players at the bottom of the list. I understand that then-GM Lou Lamoriello took Babcock to task for this reprehensible behaviour. I wonder if Kyle Dubas did the same when Babcock sat out Jason Spezza in the Leafs’ season opener; an equally reprehensible act designed to show up Dubas, but which served only to embarrass Spezza, his family, and friends.
THEN THERE’S BILL PETERS (AND OTHERS?)
Yesterday, after days of likely legal negotiations regarding a settlement of some sort, Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters finally “resigned,” an agreed-upon euphemism if ever I’ve seen one. Peters may also have to face an NHL inquiry. This was all triggered by the revelation of some vicious racial comments Peters made over a decade ago. It’s also been revealed that he indulged in bullying incidents throughout his coaching career. I’ve never heard of any racial accusations levelled at Mike Babcock, but when it comes to the bullying charges it’s difficult to ignore that Peters was once Babcock’s assistant.
I sense that this is going to turn out to be the hockey equivalent to the Me Too movement, with more allegations of unsavoury coaching practices coming out of the woodwork. There are probably many current and former coaches wracking their brains to come up with explanations for actions that didn’t seem to need any at the time but which fall far short of today’s cultural demands.
FOND HOCKEY MEMORIES REVIVED
I have the good fortune to belong to three luncheon groups, one of which meets every week while the other two meet once a month, and there’s never a dull moment with any of them. Recently, one of my luncheon colleagues, knowing that I had played Junior B hockey in Toronto and Senior A in the Maritimes, asked me if I had ever been scouted by an NHL team. The question evoked some fond memories from my teenage years. But I should first clarify that I never had any illusions about being good enough to play goal in the NHL. I played hockey every chance I got because I loved it.
I don’t know whether any other teams scouted me, but I know that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins did, because in the mid-50s I was asked to sign a “C” form by their respective chief scouts, Bob Davidson and Baldy Cotton, both former NHL stars. Back then the “C” form was the mechanism by which NHL teams obtained an option on a player’s professional rights. As I recall, the standard payment received for signing was $100, probably the equivalent of $1,000 today.
I was playing Juvenile (the stepping stone to major junior in those days) for a Toronto Hockey League team sponsored by St. Mary’s, a downtown Toronto church. We had just lost the city final to the Downsview Canadiens, a team that boasted future NHL star Bob Nevin and future legendary NHL linesman John D’Amico. I must have played fairly well because shortly after the series I was approached by both Davidson and Cotton to sign with their organizations. Although I did spend some time with the Leafs’ Junior B team, the Weston Dukes (coached by another former NHL star, Wally Stanowski), I was more of a Bruins fan so I signed with Boston and joined their Toronto Junior B team, the Lakeshore Bruins.
Playing Junior B was a thrill, particularly playing against St. Mike’s goalie Gerry Cheevers and Dixie goalie Denis DeJordy, both of whom went on to be NHL stars. During the four years I played Senior in Charlottetown I was also a full-time accounting student and was always the number-two goalie. And as $1,500 was the most I earned in a season, I was obviously still playing for the love of the game.