[Firebot]

Just a reminder of the Marner incident and Babcock's take.

https://theathletic.com/2332483/2021...afs-red-wings/

In the wake of his firing last season, a story surfaced in the Toronto Sun that Babcock had asked Mitch Marner, during the forward’s rookie season, to rank his teammates’ work ethic and the Leafs coach later shared the list with the players.

“Yeah, that’s not how that happened, actually,’’ Babcock said. “I was working with Lou (Lamoriello) at that time, we made it very clear our No. 1 priority was to make sure these young guys, Mitch, Matty (Auston Matthews), were going to be the best pros they can be at 23, 24. And turn them into the hardest working, best players they can possibly be.

“So Mitch was in my office. We were talking about work ethic. I asked him where he ranked on the scale. And that was no problem, that was just a private thing. It was a good meeting, Mitch left. But then I was meeting, I’m pretty sure it was with (Tyler) Bozak, afterward. Bozy was an important part of our team. What I ended up doing — and I made a big-time mistake, I knew as soon as I did it — when we were talking about competing and I said, ‘Well look where Mitch ranks it.’

“Well, as soon as I did that, and he saw the list, I knew that I had made a major mistake. After the meeting with Bozak, I went right into the dressing room. I grabbed Mitch and said, ‘Mitch, this is what I did. I screwed you here.’’’

Babcock said he offered right then and there to Marner to air out the coach’s mistake with the team. Marner declined. But for those who said Babcock went into the dressing room and posted Marner’s list up for all to see, that’s not true, Babcock said.

And the Franzen incident

“When a player that you’ve coached says that about you, it stings you big time. But not only does it sting for that, if you’ve been involved with mental health like I have …'”

“Can you imagine having someone say that about you when you have been involved in mental health as much as I have? Now, I’ve reached out to (Franzen). That’s not going to make anything go away.

There's a pattern to how he claims all the stories about him are always badly misrepresented or overblown.