Report: Discontent With Babcock Has Been Building For Years In Locker Room.
The biggest topic in Toronto right now is without a doubt head coach Mike Babcock's future with the Maple Leafs. Fans want him fired and now some believe the players feel the same way. It's a clear sign in the NHL and something that happens at least once a year across the league, teams stop playing for their head coach in hope that he'll get fired. While taking a look at the Leafs' struggles for The Athletic, James Mirtle reports that discontent has been building in the Leafs' locker room over the last few years. Check out what he had to say:"This is more of a «feel» assessment than anything you can track with data or heat maps, but I believe not many members of this team love playing for their coach.This is nothing new. There has been simmering discontent for years, some of which has come out through media reports, but most of which has not.We've certainly heard the cliché many times that NHL teams can quit on their coach. It seemed to happen, for example, with Ron Wilson and the Leafs, way back in 2012.Sometimes the message gets stale. Sometimes big personalities can't co-exist, after years together in the same dressing room. Babcock certainly didn't have many fans in Detroit's room by the end.You can't rule that out as a factor here, given the way the Leafs look right now."What do you think of Mirtle's comments?
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