Red Wings fans may feel jilted now that Mike Babcock chased the challenge and cash in Toronto, yet they’d be hard-pressed to deny that the scowling head coach accomplished a lot in the decade he spent in Detroit.
Babcock didn’t forget the fans, either, as he took out this full-page ad to say thank you ... and goodbye.
Mike Babcock's good-bye message to Detroit #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/TFa2u0Wlcb
— David Bastl (@DavidBastl) May 22, 2015
The text reads:
Detroit Red Wings Fans,
Thank you for an amazing 10 years!
We’ll never forget the support you’ve provided us and will always cherish the memories we’ve shared together in Hockeytown.
- The Babcocks.
Nice.
Sarcasm is basically inevitable on social media, so of course there’s been a quip here and there, especially regarding Babcock’s big-money contract.
Those saying Babcock can now afford a newspaper ad: I don't know @freep's lineage rate but I suspect Mike could have afforded it earlier
— Dave Stubbs 🇨🇦 (@Dave_Stubbs) May 22, 2015
That’s a pretty good way of looking at it.
To some, it’s still a little bewildering to imagine someone else behind Detroit’s bench, but this another (classy) reminder that it’s all real.
OK, it’s still a little stunning:
*Wakes up* *Checks Twitter to see if Babcock changed his mind*
— Pension Plan Puppets (@PPPLeafs) May 22, 2015