Bye-bye Babcock: desperate Maple Leafs drop head coach

BY MARCEL MARIAK

With the leafs stumbling into this week by adding a fifth and sixth game to a losing streak that was depressing for fans and amusing for rivals, it was clear that a change had to be made. It has been a lousy and disappointing start to the NHL season for the Maple Leafs. Since the opening of the regular season, the Leafs have been cursed with: injuries, offensive and defensive breakdowns, and seemingly unending drama both on and off the ice. The way the Leafs have been playing so far is shaky at best, leaving fans and players embarrassed by the thrashing that the Leafs receive on a regular basis. Desperate to get out of their slump and salvage what’s left of the season, the Maple Leafs fired their head coach, Mike Babcock, early Wednesday night. 

Babcock, who served five seasons as head coach of the Leafs, has been criticized in recent times, by fans and sports critics alike, for being the leading cause of the team’s miserable performance on the ice. Nevertheless, the decision to drop Babcock is a bittersweet one, commented Maple Leafs President, Brendan Shanahan, the night of the firing, “I have a tremendous amount of gratitude to Mike Babcock. It was unfortunate to have the conversation we did today.” Leafs fans also have mixed feelings about the coaching change. Many of them express gratitude for Babcock’s contributions to the franchise, but agreeing that a change was in the best interest of the team.

The Leafs will now be under the command of Sheldon Keefe, the former head coach of the Toronto Marlies, who they hope can pull the team out of the ditch. Last year, he lead the Marlies franchise to their first Calder Cup Championship, and hopes are high that he might have a similar positive impact on the Leafs franchise in the seasons to come. Keefe’s career as an NHL head coach had a strong start the night after Babcock’s dismissal, with a 3-1 win on the road over the Arizona Coyotes who have been playing very well in recent times and were coming into the match on a two-game winning streak.

The difference in the Leafs’ play compared with their recent game was night and day. The Maple Leafs looked like a completely different team; they demonstrated strong puck control, powerful defence, and for the first time in a while, looked like a cohesive unit out on the ice. With Barrie scoring in the first period, Engvall scoring a short-handed goal in the second, and Mathews putting a third point on the board less than a minute into the last period, the Leafs won a decisive victory against the Coyotes. The Leafs’ goalie, Frederik Andersen, played a very strong game but unfortunately could not get a shutout. With the Coyotes scoring a goal in the closing seconds of the game.

Does this result mean that it will be smooth sailing for the Leafs from here on out? Absolutely not! There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to get the team back to a high level of play. Snapping the losing streak, though, is definitely a step in the right direction, and shows supporters that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Leafs after all. After weeks of embarrassment and disappointment, the Maple Leafs have finally given their supporters a reason to cheer again.