Mike Babcock, former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is back in hockey again, but it’s not where you might think.
After being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in November, 2019 it didn’t take too long for Babcock to find a job in hockey again.
Although it’s not an NHL position, Babcock will be serving as a volunteer advisor to the coaching staff of the University of Vermont’s men’s hockey team.
Throughout his hockey career, Babcock has been involved in almost every league in North America.
Toronto Maple Leafs Former Coach
Before he started coaching, he was a junior hockey player in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and played at McGill University in the CIS. After his playing career finished, Babcock went back to his roots coaching in the WHL, CIS, AHL and eventually the NHL.
Despite coaching at the college hockey level in Canada, he’s yet to be involved with a college or university program in the United States, so this will actually be a new journey for the 57-year-old from Saskatchewan.
Babcock’s role was described in a statement from the University of Vermont:
"“Babcock’s role will be to serve as a resource for the coaching staff, lending his experience and perspective as one of the top hockey minds in the world.”"
There’s not a huge connection between Todd Woodcroft (Head coach of the University of Vermont) and Babcock, but there is a small one.
Woodcroft previously worked on Babcock’s coaching staff as a video coach at the 2004 World Hockey Championships, and is also a graduate of McGill University, although their time didn’t intersect.
Woodcroft had great things to say about the former Stanley Cup and Gold Medal winning coach during his statement.
"“(Babcock) is a premier coach across any athletic platform and as a coaching staff we are very fortunate to be able to draw from his experiences.“Mike’s knowledge, his network and above all else, the modern lens he uses to look at the game of hockey will help accelerate the progression of our entire program.”"
In my opinion, there is no better role than being an advisor for Babcock at this current state.
After 700 wins and over 1300 NHL games coached, Babcock should be able to find a head coaching position once again in the NHL if he wants to return.
Also with such a great resume, Babcock should be able to pick and choose which team he wants to coach, instead of jumping back into the league at the first job that opens up.