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MAJOR LEAK: Mike Babcock’s Surprising New Team Revealed – Fans and Critics React
Babcock, who was fired as Maple Leafs head coach in November 2019, signed a contract worth $50 million over eight years in 2015. Mike Babcock appears to be returning to his NHL coaching position.
According to TSN hockey analyst Darren Dreger, Babcock will become the new head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in July, when his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs expires.
Babcock joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as head coach in May 2015, following his departure from the Detroit Red Wings. He signed a contract of $50 million over eight years, which was a record for an NHL head coach at the time.
Babcock led Toronto to a 173-133-45 record over five seasons before being replaced by current Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.
Babcock, who won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008, stayed under contract and allegedly interviewed for the Washington Capitals’ head coaching position in 2020. However, it is thought that the Maple Leafs would not have released him until another club offered him a salary similar to the $6.25 million per year he was earning on average. Babcock will be free of his obligations to the Leafs on July 1, 2023.
Babcock is the only coach in the world who has won the Stanley Cup, the IIHF World Championship, and an Olympic gold medal in men’s ice hockey.
He guided Team Canada to gold at the 2004 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, as well as gold at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi, respectively.
The Blue Jackets fired their previous head coach, Brad Larsen, at the end of the 2022-23 season, following a 25-48-9 record that ranked them last in the Eastern Conference.
