Leafs' Gardiner happy with summer attention from new coach

Jake Gardiner of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a goal against the Minnesota Wild at the Air Canada Centre on March 23, 2015 in Toronto. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images/AFP)Mike Babcock wouldn’t stop bugging Jake Gardiner this past summer.

Not that the Maple Leafs defenceman would have had it differently, given a choice.

“I was pleasantly surprised at how many times he reached out,” Gardiner said. “Most guys have not had that in the past, a coach caring about the little things, how is the family, stuff like that.”

So already Babcock was making an impact before he had spent much time with the majority of Leafs in person. Hard to argue with the method.

Babcock was hired to get the Leafs not only…