It doesn’t look as though many players on the Toronto Maple Leafs are upset with the firing of their former coach Mike Babcock on Wednesday.
Per James Mirtle of The Athletic, 90% of the team roster was happy with the announcement of Babcock’s dismissal for Sheldon Keefe, who had been coaching the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Source: ~90% of the Leafs were relieved to see Mike Babcock go.
The GM obviously was ready for it, too. Now the heat is on them with their season on the line.
On the end, why it happened and what comes next @TheAthleticTO https://t.co/mcWBmPwFyG
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) November 21, 2019
Additionally, Mirtle also alleges that Leafs GM Kyle Dubas wanted Babcock fired following the team’s third straight first-round playoff exit this past April, but that there were more voices in play than just his own.
“He (Dubas) didn’t get what he obviously wanted, seven months ago, when he left Babcock twisting in the wind,” Mirtle writes. “Now, he did. This team – the roster, its identity, its coach – are all his. Now, it just needs to work.
http://gty.im/478876194
“Looking back on this, all of it, it’s a bit of a mess,” he continues. “Dubai not endorsing Babcock in April didn’t exactly go unnoticed by Leafs players, most of whom weren’t sad to see the coach go……with this generation of players, an eight year contract was never a great idea.”
