Though substantially more talented, Babcock’s Detroit teams were consistent in their ability to control the puck. Some came from far away, as the parking lot was littered with license plates from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and even Ontario.
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The three day training camp ends Sunday with practice from 9:30 a.m.to 2 p.m. “Can they play, or can they not?” “So it’s pretty cool, especially that Leaf Nation is all across this country and even in the United States, so it’s really neat to see”.
Babcock, who coached Murray’s Ducks to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season behind the bench in Anaheim, will be the focal point of Maple Leafs training camp and the unofficial star of a Toronto regular season that will be defined by transition and reconstruction. “So that’s real positive”, he said. “I’m going to go to camp and we’re going to establish work ethic and we’re going to establish a structure so the players get comfortable and understand where they’re supposed to be”. Nylander met with Mike Babcock this summer and expressed his desire to play center.
He said he’s in favour of starting training camp in a different location every year, as long as there’s a good facility with at least two ice pads. “It’s going to take some time, but it’s going to happen”. They’ve got a clean slate, and I want to catch them be good. “I want to have the best camp we possibly can have”.
“The reason I haven’t done that is because things went so poorly”, Babcock explained of not going back and reliving the carnage that was the 2014-15 Leafs’ horrific 68-point season.
On the ice, the Leafs will get their first taste of Babcock’s coaching, which is revered for its attention to detail in preparation and drills. “It’s going to be a fun year”. But if the Maple Leafs are among the worst teams, they will land another quality prospect. So as players, I think that helps you. We just have to go out and do it.
“All my life, been a Toronto fan”, says Hoover MacDougall, who lives right across the street from the ice rink. “But the city itself I have nothing but fond memories”.
What Babcock has here, entering his first camp with the Leafs, is flexibility. “There’s not much time at the board”.
“I was talking to some guys in line and one guy was telling me he was there at 7:00 last night. Your haircut, your facial hair, all that stuff”. Just like during his days running the New Jersey Devils, the veteran general manager wants his players to look proper.
For Babcock, that includes goaltending, where Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer are back as a tandem. When he said he had four or five times and was told the same from others, it was clear the coach with the US$50-million, eight-year contract wanted to get off on the right foot. In camp are several newcomers on one-year deals, including forwards Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Shawn Matthias and Mark Arcobello and defenceman Matt Hunwick, and winger Michael Grabner, acquired Thursday in a six-player trade with the New York Islanders.
A few members of the team will head to HMCS Fredericton with former Maple Leafs great Wendel Clark for a tour of the ship on Friday afternoon.
Unquestionably, a team needing a lift at center would give up a touted prospect and draft pick to get him.
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All proceeds from the tickets and BBQ benefit KidSport Nova Scotia, a group that helps kids overcome the financial barriers of organized sports.
