Mike Babcock

Mike Babcock finally decided. He chose to leave the safety of the Detroit Red Wings and become the Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The contract is reported to be for 8 years and worth $50-Million. Good luck to you Mr. Babcock. You have definitely taken on a challenge it will be interesting to see what happens.

People have already been coming out on two extremes. The doom and gloom group claim he made a horrible mistake. Toronto is the kiss of death. He won't be able to do anything. His career is over.

The head up their arse group see this as THE turning point. They could be right, It could be a turning point but it could be years before it is proven true or not. Some of these idiots are already making claims that the Leafs are now cup contenders next year.

Extremist Fans. They do make me chuckle.

I did find what one pundit said today very funny. (Unfortunately, I can't find a link to what he said.) He claimed that as of the moment Babcock was signed the leafs must NOW be taken seriously. Really? As of right now? What a twat. The team is the same bottom of the barrel team NOW as it was yesterday. It needs rebuilding.

Also, Babcock is coming to Toronto from the Red Wings. The Red Wings arguably have THE BEST scouting system in the NHL. (And I say this as a Canadiens fan.) It is amazing the talent they can find based on the picks they have every year. They also have a great system for preparing their prospects for the NHL. With Detroit he inherited a lot of apparatus to help keep the team winning.

People expecting an immediate turn around are setting themselves up for a huge disappointment. Rebuilding takes time.

Hopefully Babcock has the backing of MLS and the leafs management and will be allowed to build the team the way he wants. It should be interesting to see how things unfold.