Incredible story from Brad May casts Mike Babcock in a new light

It's safe to say that veteran NHL head coach Mike Babcock's reputation and credibility have taken a hit the past few years.

Babcock, of course, was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2019 following a six game losing streak and amidst allegations that he created a toxic environment in the Leafs' dressing room. In the months following Babcock's firing, multiple players, analysts and insiders came forward with stories about how Babcock treated his players and team personnel and... well... let's just say that the stories didn't cast old Babs in the best light. In short Babcock was accused of using head game tactics with his players, conspiring to have them talk behind each others' backs and, frankly, using outdated coaching tactics.

Progressive hockey fans call him a dinosaur who is out of touch, while purists call him a throwback in the Iron Mike Keenan visage. The truth, as always, probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Is Babcock an old school guy who could stand to modernize his approach? Most definitely. But that doesn't make him an irredeemable monster worth "cancelling" for all of eternity. 

In an effort to make clear Babcock's name a little bit ahead of his NHL return with the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, longtime NHL veteran turned analyst Brad May shared a heartwarming story about the other side of Mike Babcock on the Raw Knuckles Podcast from both May's and Babcock's time with the Detroit Red Wings. The year was 2009 and the Red Wings were planning their annual Father's Trip... I'll let May Day take it from here:

"My kids lives in Toronto, it's my last season in the NHL so I wanted to bring my son. Two days before the trip I get called into Mike Babcock's office," May said.

"He (Babcock) says, 'I see you're bringing Tyler on this trip', and I think he's gonna say that I can't bring him because he's too young, he's just 13 years old and that I can't do it. But he goes, 'I think that's awesome, the greatest thing ever, good for you.'"

"Then he goes, 'Make sure he brings his hockey equipment.' And I said, 'What do you mean?' He goes, 'Yeah, don't you think Tyler would want to join the morning skate with the Detroit Red Wings? Oh the right wing with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg?' Don't you think he'd like that?'

- Brad May

May then went on to explain that when he and Tyler entered the dressing room to prepare for the morning skate, there were two stalls with the MAY nameplate printed on it. They had a full set up for Tyler, just like he was one of the roster players.

"My son got a number 9 Red Wings jersey, which was the number that he wore on his team. It had his name on it and everything. Nobody else knew about this, so it must have been Babcock who had the trainers make this happen."

- Brad May

How about that? Not bad for an old school dinosaur drill sargeant, eh?