Babcock shares his secret to success: stealing.

You don’t get to be one of the top coaches in the NHL without a little help, admits Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock. But… how do you get from coaching college hockey in the middle of Alberta to the NHL? Well, according to Babcock, you steal.

“When I started at Red Deer College, there was a guy, Perry Pearn, at NATE and his teams were better than mine, so I just stole everything he did,” recalled Babcock. “Then the same with Billy Moores at U of A, just try to take everything. Same with Clare Drake,” continued Babcock.

But, Babcock’s approach didn’t end in college. He took the chameleon approach all the way to the NHL. “When I got to the Western Hockey League, I was in Spokane and the best coach was Don Hay in Kamloops. Stole everything we could from him. You do that all the way.” Finally, when Babcock made the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, he studied Jacques Lemaire who was at that time coaching the Minnesota Wild.

“I remember sneaking into his practice — Jacques would stop practice if he saw you — so I would sneak and hide behind a pole,” recalled a laughing Babcock. “I think you learn from all people. Some people help you on purpose and some people you just admire how their team plays, so you watch and learn. That’s the same for everything in life.”

It’s an interesting philosophy and it’s hard to argue with the results. With a Stanley Cup championship and two Olympic gold medals on his resume, Babcock’s thief-like approach has taken him this far. Let’s just hope it can deliver another championship for the city of Toronto.