Former Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock is now out of a job after being relieved of his duties by Toronto this afternoon.
Former Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan, now the president of the Maple Leafs, met with the media and explained the reasoning behind the decision, which was apparently weeks in the making.
“Over parts of the last 5 seasons, Mike played an integral role in changing the direction of our franchise… Mike’s commitment & tireless work ethic put our org in a better place & we are extremely grateful & appreciative of the foundation he helped us build”
“At this time, we collectively felt it was best to make a change. (Sheldon Keefe's) record with Marlies in terms of development & on-ice success during his time (here) has compelled us all to feel he is the right person to take us to the next stage in our evolution”
