Also ... not sure why everyone is insinuating that Marner, specifically, won't be OK with a more hard-ass coach? Really the only indication I've ever heard about Marner having an issue with a coach is when he was a 19 year old rookie, Babs asked him privately to rank Leafs by effort level, and then behind Marner's back showed his list to other Leafs. That had nothing to do with working hard, it was about Babs playing mind games, trying to turn players against one another. And Marner put that behind him pretty quickly, worked well with Babs afterwards.
FWIW, lots of different players on lots of different teams prior to the Leafs have hated Babs for this sort of mind games/power trip stuff, and been far, far more critical of him than any Leafs player has:
Franzen
"But then he’s a terrible man, the worst person I’ve ever met. A bully who had a go at people, it could be cleaners in the Detroit arena or anyone. He jumped on people just because."
"He was on a couple of other players before. The good team players. Those who don’t say that much. When they left, that energy passed to me, and then I had to take a turn. It was verbal attacks, terrible things he said."
Colaiacovo
"I played with guys in Detroit that hated him. I told you that every year in Detroit the leaders would go in and try to get him fired, but Kenny Holland wouldn’t even entertain that conversation because he knew what he was getting as a coach"
Chelios
“He tried to healthy scratch me in the outdoor game in Wrigley Field against Chicago because he knew it was my hometown — just things that were so unnecessary, to show he’s the boss, to show his general manager he’s the boss,” Chelios said. “That’s he’s on a power thing, his ego — that’s a big part of his personality.”
While Chelios ultimately wasn’t scratched for that 2009 Winter Classic, he’d finish the game — a 6-4 Red Wings victory — with a total ice time just shy of two minutes.
“Kenny Holland and Jim Nill, for three days, argued with him. So what Babs ended up doing was, he suited up seven D for the first time ever …. He played me the opening shift, and then didn’t play me another shift the rest of the game. That was his way of showing Kenny and Jim Nill he’s not going to be told what to do,” Chelios explained, later stating that he felt Babcock “had it out for me from the beginning.”
“It’s just stupid things like that, and now it’s obviously coming back to haunt him and we’ll see if someone’s crazy enough to hire him again.”
"What [Babcock] did to him [Franzen] at the end, he was hurt at the time, it was the playoffs I think we lost to [the Nashville Predators], we got upset with Nashville. Some of the things [Babcock said to Franzen] on the bench, I don’t know what he said to him behind closed doors one-on-one, but he blatantly verbally assaulted him during the game on the bench.”
“It got to the point where poor Johan, no one really knowing he was suffering with the concussion thing and the depression thing, he just broke down and had a nervous breakdown," Chelios added. "Not only on the bench but after the game in one of the rooms in Nashville. That was probably the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
Also Modano, Commodore, etc. - so many guys just despise him. It's not because he's a traditional hard ass coach who asks them to work hard, it's because he's cruel, petty, likes to engage in mind games and tear specific people down.
Marner is clearly one of the hardest workers during games, and by all reports one of the hardest workers in practice too. He's 180 lbs not because he's too lazy to pack on more weight, but because that's where he's most effective - speed and elusiveness is crucial to his game. He trains a tonne, but trains for cardio, explosiveness, and yes strength, but not for bulk/mass. He's never had work ethic issues - the compete is always there, IMO he just puts too much pressure on himself to perform for his childhood favourite team, can cause him to overthink in the playoffs at times, vs. someone like Nylander who is able to stay loose regardless of the situation. And even then, last 2 playoffs, 22 points and +10 in 18 games, he's performed well.
Dale Hunter is a hard ass coach, demanding coach, Mitch worked great with him. And honestly Mitch worked great with Babs too, he was upset by that incident, at the time, but certainly didn't let it carry over into his effort/play. There's been zero indication of Mitch giving up on a coach or trying to get them fired. Marner also never went to the media with this Babs story, it leaked from other ppl close to the team. Marner's actual quotes, post leak/post Babs firing:
"I texted him right after and said thanks for everything he did here," the forward said Tuesday. "He turned around this team and this franchise, so I just said, 'Good luck wherever it takes you next.' "
[when asked about the hard working list, shared behind his back]
"He did apologize after, and I think he knew he was mistaken," Marner said, "but for the three years I was here after that situation, especially my second and third years, he really trusted me out on the ice and I think you could see that.
"I felt that he had the trust in me to put me out there in situations he didn't in my first year. I had a pretty good relationship with him at the end of it."
Marner said Babcock's explanation at the time was he was simply trying to motivate him. Marner also said he was fortunate he could discuss the matter with the teammates involved with no ill will harbored.
"[Babcock] was just trying to show I should work harder, but it's over with now, it's out of my mind," Marner said. "In my case, I kind of forgot about it right away, I didn't really care too much later on. I was lucky enough the guys in the locker room understood the situation and didn't take it to heart and stuck by my side. … It's over with now."
He seems to hold way less ill will towards Babs than
tonnes of other guys, e.g. Detroit players.
Lavi has a reputation for being a bit of a hard ass, asks for a lot of effort, but also a straight shooter. Fair/honest, tells you exactly where you stand with him, but not a cruel person who plays mind games, who singles out specific people and tries to destroy them. I don't see Mitch, or our other stars, having problems with a coach like Lavi.
