It’s locker room clean out day today at Scotiabank Arena following the Toronto Maple Leafs’ disappointing Game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday evening.
Typically, locker room clean out day is a day reserved for final meetings between players, coaches, management and the media. It’s a chance for all members of an organization to put their final words on the season that was and given the Leafs’ failings in a third straight post-season the spotlight was shining brightly on rookie general manager Kyle Dubas.
The biggest question hurled Dubas’ way was, “Will Mike Babcock be back next season?” To that, Dubas offered up a cryptic response, opting not to five his head coach a vote of confidence.
Check it out:
That’s certainly no ringing endorsement…
Babcock has been criticized heavily in the hours since Game 7 concluded, both for pulling goaltender Frederik Andersen with over three minutes left in a two goal game and for failing to play top players like Auston Matthews adequate minutes.
Yikes…
The bigger problem though, might be Babcock’s inability to accept any blame. While Dubas was quick to blame himself for the Leafs’ failures, Babcock deflected any personal criticism during his press conference, opting instead to point the finger at his own players. Sportsnet insider John Shannon went on a tirade following Babcock’s press conference and it’s DEFINITELY worth checking out:
Shannon brings up a great point… for someone who considers himself a leader, calls himself a leader and in fact has even written books on leadership… this is a BAD look for Babcock.
If you’re interested in the full press conference, you can stream it below:
