Holy [expletive word for excrement that OTF’s fearless leader, Kate, won’t let me say because this is a ‘family friendly’ hockey site], the Maple Leafs did it. They really did it.
On Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., the Leafs PR Twitter account alerted their fans, the hockey community, and the world they’d fired head coach Mike Babcock. Babcock was in his fifth year with the Leafs—barely more than halfway through his eight-year, $50 million contract—when the Leafs decided it was time to part ways.
The difference between expectation and reality is rough.
This news now means the one-time Stanley-Cup–winning and two-time Olympic-gold-medal–winning coach is now on the market, ‘free’ to a good home, seeking a new partnership—you get it.