Mike Babcock has left Columbus. He didn’t leave on his own, he was “left.” As a result of another scandal, which will now certainly put an end to the NHL coach’s career. The reason why a member of the Triple Gold Club is unlikely to be called to work will seem frivolous to some. He either demanded or asked to see personal photos in the phones of his hockey players. What might seem to some like an attempt to get to know the newly minted players better, was regarded overseas as another manifestation of coaching tyranny.
From Russia, Babcock’s case actually looks somewhat comical. How they did not take seriously the accusations of racism that deprived Bill Peters, Babcock’s former assistant, of his job in the NHL. Few people were embarrassed by the story of Reed Boucher, who was accused in his homeland of sexual assault. With a similar biography he came to KHL and Jake Virtanen. And the fact that Brendan Laipsik was expelled from the strongest league in the world for discussing the wives of other hockey players in a chat sounds like a joke.
In our country, hockey coaches until recently were for the manager, the father and almost the Lord God. They sniffed the players, went through the numbers, and completely controlled everyone. Now these traditions are gradually fading into oblivion. Igor Larionov can be considered the driving force behind these changes, and he doesn’t even raise his voice against the players. Whereas Oleg Znarok, being a prominent representative of the old school, suddenly found himself on the sidelines of the coaching profession. But in general, the KHL is a league where Babcock could be welcomed with open arms.
Babcock’s history and status seem to guarantee him offers from Russia. It’s not every time that a Stanley Cup winner and coach of Olympic champions comes to us. And people will easily turn a blind eye to Mike’s personal background. But if we consider each option separately, where might the disgraced coach end up?
In Yekaterinburg, where Peters coached for a season and a half, they are unlikely to step on a familiar rake. No matter how eminent the Canadian was, he could not adapt to our way of life, mentality and hockey. As Bill’s assistant German Titov said, the legionnaire coach showed the hockey players only positive aspects and did not dare to scold them. This “herbivorous” approach is unusual for our players. Now Avtomobilist is seriously and, it seems, betting for a long time on the young Russian specialist Nikolai Zavarukhin.
The position of another young coach, Viktor Kozlov, is also unshakable. The head of the republic trusts him, so there will be no Babcock in Salavat Yulaev. And there is not as much money in Bashkiria as before. There have been many foreigners, including from North America, in the history of Magnitogorsk hockey. Dave King, Paul Maurice, Mike Keenan… Babcock’s name fits perfectly into this list, but Andrei Razin has just begun building a new team. And he does it well. So Mike’s arrival at Metallurg is excluded.
Who else has the money, ambition, and most importantly the need for a coach like Babcock? Dynamo and Spartak are doing well with Kudashov and Zhamnov, respectively. Moreover, Fedorov’s position in CSKA is unshakable. Yuri Yakovlev at one time removed Kudashov for the sake of Kvartalnov and Kvartalnov for the sake of Nikitin. However, it’s hard to believe that the Lokomotiv president will exchange Nikitin for Babcock. If only because the list of foreign coaches who failed in Yaroslavl is frighteningly long. North Americans absolutely do not take root on this land.
Perhaps in a year, Ak Bars will need a coach. But this depends entirely on Zinetula Bilyaletdinov and his plans for life. Will he want to continue working? Or will he retire? The Kazan team could well take aim at such a figure as Babcock, but not now. Mike’s candidacy as the head coach of Avangard would look interesting. He could have continued Bob Hartley’s legacy. Moreover, the Omsk team already approached Babcock once. Why not go back to this option?
“Of course, I wanted to maintain Hartley’s level, and I don’t hide the fact that we negotiated with top specialists. For example, these are John Quenneville and Mike Babcock. We held several video conferences with the latter, talked in detail about the club’s strategy, but then well-known events happened,” said the former chairman of the board of directors of Avangard, Alexander Krylov.
The events described by Krylov are dated early 2022. Then Avangard looked for a replacement for Hartley in advance and took aim at his eminent compatriots. However, in the end, Bob’s assistant Dmitry Ryabykin was appointed head coach of the Omsk club. This did not end well for the Siberians. As, indeed, for Ryabykin himself. If he had stayed in the Krylov club, it was really possible to return to negotiations with Babcock. However, the abrupt departure of the big boss led to significant changes in the organization. Avangard is being rebuilt on more economical lines. You shouldn’t expect spectacular gestures from Omsk residents in the near future.
Or maybe in…SKA? There have been no foreign coaches in St. Petersburg for quite a long time. If at the dawn of the KHL “CSKA” attracted Americans, Canadians, Finns and Czechs, then the 2015 championship changed a lot. Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkin made it clear that it is with Russian specialists that a large budget can turn into a cup. Vladimir Vladimirovich Yurzinov, who is now an adviser to the head coach of SKA, that is, Rotenberg, has already opposed Babcock’s candidacy. But five defeats in a row and an unprecedentedly low position in the table makes one wonder: shouldn’t Roman Borisovich return to the managerial position, entrusting the table to the Canadian? And at the same time get an internship with Babcock. The main thing is not to get into players’ phones.
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2023-09-20 05:00:00
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