What is with the constant f-bomb dropping bully type (see for eg. the HBO series Road to the Winter Classic where Bruce Boudreau could not string a sentence together unless it was full of expletives)?
Does being a ####head motivate players to excel? Because if I had a boss like that I would be out of here before the end of the day.
Boudreau seemed to be well liked by his players if I remember correctly. I wouldn't lump him into the same group as Babcock as swearing alone doesn't necessarily reflect how you treat others.
However, you do have a point. There is a drill sergeant/ not your friend type of personality that is often put into leadership positions and I think this can be traced directly to the experience of different generations. The army is seen as the pinnacle of leadership in many sports. The NHL and NFL in particular really pander to it. However, as the younger generations are becoming further and further removed from these major conflicts (WW1, 2, Vietnam, cold war, etc.) they are looking elsewhere for leadership (mostly business) which emphasizes more inclusiveness, collaborations, etc. I think going forward you'll see less of that old leadership style simply because young people do no relate to it.
Tavares drops multiple F-Bombs in that locker room video after getting Keefe his first win. Crosby dropping bombs all over those HBO documentaries too.
I watching watching the TSN Overdrive guys this afternoon and they floated the idea that the Marner thing might have been related to Babcock not wanting him to be drafted. Apparently Babcock wanted Hanifin instead. Interesting if true.
Akim Aliu: "Not very surprising the things we’re hearing about Babcock. Apple doesn’t fall far from the Tree, same sort of deal with his protege (Bill Peters) in YYC. Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn’t like my choice of music."
This actually could be a blessing in disguise if Tre needs a way out. I'm starting to turn on Peters a little bit here.
It should also be said that this kind of statement could do with a second player backing up the statement. Could be nothing. Could be something.
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"We don't even know who our best player is yet. It could be any one of us at this point." - Peter LaFleur, player/coach, Average Joe's Gymnasium
I watching watching the TSN Overdrive guys this afternoon and they floated the idea that the Marner thing might have been related to Babcock not wanting him to be drafted. Apparently Babcock wanted Hanifin instead. Interesting if true.
I mean that’s not new news. That was known a long time ago. But this is just a classic hockey story. People have this idea hockey players and people in hockey are “better” than other athletes in other leagues and look the other way. I can’t wait till this iteration of the flames separates and the story’s that come out and people actually start to believe.
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Sports has always had these a-type sociopaths. It's really unfortunate, but you see this type of thing is your corporate environment more and more as time passes. Look up the documentary CBC did of sociopaths in the workplace and read the book. I imagine a professional sports organization where you have such a short window for winning in a leadership position pretty much ensures you hire these people who self-promote at the expense of everyone else and selling results rather than actually getting results. The classic finger point - it was everyone else not doing their job but look all these great things I did.
When I heard Brian Burke lament that it's a sad day for Babcock and his family and that he's a great human being, I lost a lot of respect for the guy. You hear a lot of these stories, obviously not contrived, and you realize Burke was standing up for a real POS.
Sports has always had these a-type sociopaths. It's really unfortunate, but you see this type of thing is your corporate environment more and more as time passes. Look up the documentary CBC did of sociopaths in the workplace and read the book. I imagine a professional sports organization where you have such a short window for winning in a leadership position pretty much ensures you hire these people who self-promote at the expense of everyone else and selling results rather than actually getting results. The classic finger point - it was everyone else not doing their job but look all these great things I did.
When I heard Brian Burke lament that it's a sad day for Babcock and his family and that he's a great human being, I lost a lot of respect for the guy. You hear a lot of these stories, obviously not contrived, and you realize Burke was standing up for a real POS.
The funny thing of course is that he’s been a piece of #### since his days in red deer and because of how hockey is no one cares because he “wins”
The Toronto media guys are the funniest. You have Jeff O’Neil going hard at Babcock now when he was the biggest water carrier forever. It’s sad.
Last edited by Weitz; 11-25-2019 at 08:33 PM.
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Can someone remind me what that was. My memory is foggy.
Amoungst others, I think Pinder said that the Flames medical staff told him he was skating the players into injuries. Harley’s response was to get new staff.
The funny thing of course is that he’s been a piece of #### since his days in red deer and because of how hockey is no one cares because he “wins”
The Toronto media guys are the funniest. You have Jeff O’Neil going hard at Babcock now when he was the biggest water carrier forever. It’s sad.
O’Neil has never liked him. He’s been on the record with this since he was hired.
He’s respected Babcock’s resume, but at the same time he’s known what Babcock is.
However guys in his position hesitate to unload on an employee like Babcock because the team has the hammer in their ability to restrict access for O’Neil’s employer, TSN.
The native of Sweden said in the interview that Babcock is the worst person he ever met.
“As a coach he is extremely meticulous and well prepared. He is very good at putting a team together and getting everyone to buy into it. That’s his strong side,” Franzen told the newspaper. “But then, he’s a terrible person, the worst I have ever met. He’s a bully who was attacking people. It could be a cleaner at the arena in Detroit or anybody. He would lay into people without any reason.”
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I too was verbally attacked and intentionally intimidated by Mike Babcock outside the Red Wings dressing room back in 2007. Former Detroit video coach Jay Woodcroft brought him to me. Had me up against a wall while screaming and pointing in my face b/c of a story I had written https://t.co/JNEV8hckNB
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) December 3, 2019
