Former Leaf chomping at the bit for an opportunity to tell Mike Babcock what he thinks about him face-to-face
By the end of his tenure in Toronto, Mike Babcock went from hero to zero. The long-standing bench boss at the time was ridiculed and driven out of town by fans and media when his mistreatment of players came to light. Nothing made bigger headlines than when his antics against a young Mitch Marner became public. The hockey world did not respond very kindly to Babcock.
If you remember, Babcock asked a then-rookie Marner to list from top to bottom, the hardest working to laziest players on the team in an attempt to improve Marner's work ethic on-ice and in-game. Marner willfully followed his head coach's request, and listed himself at the very bottom, admitting he needed to work on that facet of his game. Shockingly, Babcock revealed this list to the entire team, forcing the veteran leadership group to step in and stand up for a distraught Marner. These types of manipulative antics were backed up and echoed by many former players who played under Mike Babcock, and doubled down on when MLSE announced the firing and release of the coach in November of 2019.
One player, who may escape the minds of many, knows all too well of the antics of Mike Babcock. Enter former Maple Leafs prospect, Frank Corrado.
Corrado was with the Leafs for two seasons, but rarely saw the ice for a game. This was so evident that fans began asking why he wasn't given some form of a look, and #freecorrado even started trending on Twitter. In an interview with The Athletic's Sean Fitz-Gerald, Corrado details his life after the Leafs and playing overseas, as well as his newfound passion for broadcasting, being quite involved in radio, both on TSN 1050 and Sportsnet 590.
When it comes to his Leafs tenure, Corrado speaks on his confusion for always being in the press box, as well as his frustration for not getting into a game, although he knows it is earned not owed as a player. However, he states Babcock's resolve for not putting him in, may be due to the unwarranted attention. Corrado also stated he didn't see the necessity of keeping him around and dragging things along when there was opportunity elsewhere. When it comes to Babcock directly, Corrado did not mince his words:
"I'll tell you straight up: If I ever saw him again, I would have some choice words for him," said Corrado. "I just feel like it was only a matter of time until his antics caught up to him."
Like many who've voiced their opinions publicly on Babcock, Frank Corrado joins the ranks. Although the not-yet-retired, semi-broadcaster has greater aspirations to focus on, his love of the game and the Leafs will keep on thriving.
https://theathletic.com/3333226/2022/05/25/former-leafs-defenceman-frank-corrado-hits-crossroads-of-hockey-and-broadcasting/
| POLL | ||
MAI 26 | 547 ANSWERS Former Leaf chomping at the bit for an opportunity to tell Mike Babcock what he thinks about him face-to-face What are your thoughts about Mike Babcock? | ||
| Good coach, crappy human. | 203 | 37.1 % |
| Nothing wrong with Babs, people are dramatic | 69 | 12.6 % |
| Babs could have won this team a Cup | 36 | 6.6 % |
| He doesn't belong behind any bench | 239 | 43.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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