It’s no secret that former Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock has an impressive coaching resume.
However, his career came under scrutiny following his dismissal by the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. Multiple reports from former (and current) players painted Babcock in a less-than-flattering light regarding his treatment of them and coaching style.
One particular scathing testimonial came from former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen, who called Babcock the “worst person I’ve ever met”.
He’s now the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan.
While speaking on his TSN OverDrive show, former NHL All-Star Jeff O’Neill absolutely ripped Babcock:
“This guy is used to walking around and everyone kissing his ass because he’s Mike Babcock and he’s the coach of Team Canada and he’s smarter than everyone else.” said O’ Neill on his TSN OverDrive show. “What’s going on now is he’s having a difficult time with people not seeing his greatness. People calling him out for being a jerk and a bad coach and a bad guy. And he can’t deal with people not kissing his ass and [not getting] the respect he used to get.”
– – Quotes via NHL Watcher