Did we get a little coaching “bulletin board material” from Mike Babcock to Todd McLellan after the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 3-2 OT win against the Edmonton Oilers?
Some feel that way after noting Babcock’s comments about Connor McDavid getting double-shifted at times during the first period.
“McDavid played 8:15 in the 1st period so that helped us too because that’s a lot of minutes, I don’t care who you are going out,” Babcock said, according to TSN’s Mark Masters.
A little more:
Mike Babcock thought McDavid wore down as a result of 22+ minutes. "He’s a good player and all that, but so is Nugent-Hopkins."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) November 2, 2016
This isn’t John Tortorella trying to fight another coach in a hallway/locker room material, but it’s pretty spicy for two hockey coaches.
(Well, not compared to the KHL, but still ...)
Some see it as a bit of a slam, at least.
#CoachingShade https://t.co/TSlGrRyqqu
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) November 2, 2016
This isn’t to say that Babcock is probably 100 percent happy with the night, win or not. The Oilers generated a 46-31 shot differential, so Babs himself would likely admit that he also has some work to do.
Still, it could be another fun subplot, especially if you’re annoyed by all the McDavid vs. Auston Matthews talk.