From Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press:
Interestingly, Babcock post-morning skate presser began with Wings PR guy saying Babcock not answering questions about his coaching future.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) October 17, 2014
No real surprise there. The Red Wings said before the season that they didn’t want Mike Babcock’s uncertain future to become a distraction. The highly regarded coach is still without a contract past 2014-15.
In a related story -- oh, and did we mention the Wings are in Toronto for a game tonight? -- the Globe and Mail’s Cathal Kelly believes Babcock will “choose the Toronto Maple Leafs” when all is said and done.
Kelly sees Babcock statements like, “I want to be the best coach of my era,” as reason to believe the opportunity to lead the Leafs to glory will be too tempting to pass up.
That’s a popular theme when it comes to the Leafs, and it’s not just one that’s pushed by the media.
Remember what Brian Burke said when he took over in Toronto? “The guy that turns this team around and wins a championship here, they’re going to name schools after him.”
Outgoing MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke said something similar when he took the job.
Babcock, for the record, has said nothing of the sort.