Until October and perhaps beyond, Mike Babcock will be facing scrutiny after his MapleLeafs failed to win a playoff series again (lukefoxjukebox)
BOSTON – After watching his players get booted in the opening round for a fifth straight time, and third overseeing the, Mike Babcock must have felt the daggers raising from the fists of a city that swore this time things would be different.
He directed fans’ attention over here, to Nazem Kadri and how the third-line centre’s reckless suspension might have cost the team this series. The optimism was so much higher, the roster so much deeper walking into TD Garden this time, yet the result was infuriatingly, deflatingly familiar. Marleau hadn’t yet shaved off his salt-and-pepper playoff beard. The veteran who uprooted his four kids from sunny California because he thought Toronto could really do it looked drained, sad."It never gets easier," Marleau said. "The sting is still the same as always. Still looking for that first Stanley Cup, so…" And then he walked to bus.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Babcock: 'This series has been about responding and we have to respond'After the Bruins' top line had a breakout performance in Game 4, Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock wants to see how his team responds tonight in Game 5.
Read more »
Babcock dismisses idea of a Drake curseAfter Drake was spotted in a Maple Leafs jersey at the Scotiabank Arena during Game 4, head coach Mike Babcock dismissed the idea of a Drake curse and said he welcomes all supporters.
Read more »
Maturation of Matthews puts Leafs on cusp of ending drought - TSN.caMaple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock called Auston Matthews' performance last night in Game 5 the best 200-foot game of the playoffs for Matthews. It was yet another sign of how he's matured in his third NHL season, Mark Masters writes.
Read more »
Babcock on Game 6: 'We are going to be ready when the puck drops'Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock expects that there will be a lot of energy in the Scotiabank Arena, and he feels his team will be ready to play when the puck drops. The Leafs have a chance to eliminate the Boston Bruins in Game 6 tonight on home ice.
Read more »
Babcock urges stifled Marner to ‘just breathe’ - TSN.caMaple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock says star forward Mitch Marner, who was held without a shot on net in Games 5 and 6 against the Bruins, needs to ‘just breathe and play hard’ in Tuesday’s Game 7 showdown to get back into his groove, Mark Masters writes.
Read more »
North Korea’s masters of propaganda unload on Mike Pompeo ‘talking nonsense’Kim Jong Un’s Foreign Ministry has opinions about the U.S. secretary of state, who seems ‘unable to understand words properly’
Read more »
Is Game 7 result more important for Kadri or Babcock's future? - Sportsnet.caHC at Noon chat on who's future is more on the line with the Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Game 7 outcome, Nazem Kadri's or Mike Babcock's?
Read more »
Leafs can’t close the deal so it’s Game 7 in Boston once againMike Babcock’s team need to prove they can both learn from and banish history
Read more »
Should Babcock move Marner around lines like Cassidy did with Pastrnak? - Sportsnet.caHockey Central insider Nick Kypreos wonders if Mike Babcock should answer Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy's gamesmanship with David Pastrnak, by shifting Mitch Marner around different lines, and be more open to try new things.
Read more »