Leafs’ Babcock, Dubas still growing their relationship

Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock addresses the media’s perception of his recent pointed comments and his bond with GM Kyle Dubas, and says this type of media interaction just makes the relationship stronger.

TORONTO — Mike Babcock could watch a tornado rip through his neighbourhood and see it as a chance to build something better and stronger in its place.

Metaphorically, at least, that’s how the veteran head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs is approaching the sudden interest in the state of his relationship with rookie general manager Kyle Dubas.

The cyclone started with a series of Babcock’s recent comments to reporters — some that could be interpreted as public shots at Dubas — and developed into a fierce media storm after my colleague Elliotte Friedman delved into the topic in his popular “31 Thoughts” blog this week, asking: “…is anyone else wondering if this marriage is in trouble?”

Babcock met the issue head-on following Friday’s practice, not entirely pouring cold water on the premise that he and Dubas could have a better working relationship, but also clarifying that he wasn’t second-guessing his boss when discussing the organization’s need for better depth or a more balanced set of right- and left-shot defencemen.

“You’d like to say everything perfect and sometimes maybe you don’t. But the intent,” said Babcock, trailing off. “You know, Dubie and my relationship isn’t as good now as it’s going to be four years from now. Mine with Ken Holland wasn’t as good in my first year as it was in my 10th year, or Bryan Murray my first wasn’t as [good as] my third, or Lou [Lamoriello].

“It takes awhile just to keep building your relationship. This right here, this little opportunity has been provided for me and it will just make us better.”

Now Babcock is no dummy.

He arrived in Toronto on the richest coaching contract in NHL history, but he knows it will be up to Dubas to determine how much of the remaining four years after this one he gets to continue pulling the levers from behind the Leafs bench.

The team’s growth and performance, first and foremost, will inform that decision. But intangibles, such as his willingness to execute the front office’s vision, could ultimately come in to play as well.

On “Wednesday Night Hockey,” my colleague Brian Burke asserted that Babcock’s comment about a lack of organizational depth bordered on insubordination. The coach insists he meant nothing more than to point out that the Leafs have a ways to go before catching up with Tampa, the “model” franchise in that regard.

“I know Dubie and I talk all the time, we’ve talked about this since this happened,” said Babcock. “If any of my comments in any way — because then I read the article and I don’t read it like that, at all — but if any of my comments in any way hurt anybody [it wasn’t intended].

“We talked about this the other day with our players, when I come to talk to you people, if anybody’s wife’s reading it the next day and they feel hurt then you’ve done the wrong thing. That’s not my intent.”

Babcock speaks to reporters about 250 times each season — twice on game days, and again after each practice — producing roughly 50 hours of recorded answers in the process.

During his Friday afternoon session, there seemed to be some acknowledgement that he occasionally wades into territory beyond his purview. This is nothing new, of course. He was famous for poking his head in to player personnel decisions during his days with Holland in Detroit and, while working under Lamoriello last season, he’d repeatedly point out when opposing teams had more centre depth than the Leafs.

To some degree, it’s all part and parcel with employing one of the game’s top coaches. The man is hard-wired to push and push and push everyone around him. Even though his objectives aren’t any different than those of Dubas or Brendan Shanahan or other key members of the front office, he won’t always share a vision for how they can be best achieved.

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However, Babcock also remembers an important lesson imparted on him while coaching the Anaheim Mighty Ducks more than 15 years ago.

“My first general manager in the National Hockey League was a gentleman named Bryan Murray and one of the first things he told me is, he says: ‘As a coach and a general manager, never let anyone get in between you and if you do you’re going to be in trouble,”’ said Babcock. “So that relationship’s so important.”

In order to build more trust with a boss 22 years his junior, it might be best to keep some of the internal debates internal. The path to smoothing over any suspected cracks in the Leafs’ foundation starts with a more unified front from the daily voice of the team.

“I think [internal debate is] real important to have,” said Babcock. “I think people got to think different ways. But I also think publicly that’s not the idea. Publicly, you know what, every year — or a couple times a year — I go to the media, I don’t know, twice a day, sometimes three times a day it seems like.

“There’s going to be a shit storm once and awhile, there just is.”

This one, too, shall pass.

But what gets left in its wake is what’s truly important here.

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