Former Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard shares story about Mike Babcock

Mike Babcock had a history of treating his players poorly throughout his career, which could very well be part of the reason he's not coaching currently in the NHL. But the scope of how much he disrespected his players hasn't necessarily come to light, until recently. That is, if you believe his former goaltender Jimmy Howard who he coached for a time while they were both with the Detroit Red Wings.

Howard who was a guest on The Cam and Stick Podcast explains that when Babcock was his bench boss, the coach would take jabs at him. Howard implied that he played along with it, taking it in stride. Howard continued that when the team was on a trip with a stop in Phoenix to play the Coyotes the year that Howard was up for the Calder Trophy given to the rookie of the year, Babcock suggested he would have voted for Tyler Myers. Luckily for Howard, Babcock didn't have a vote as it is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Arguably Mike Babcock may have been a good coach, or he just had really good players. But with only one Stanley Cup to his credit, he could likely be branded a coach who couldn't get it done when it truly mattered. Towards the latter part of his career, he was criticized for mistreating both veterans and rookies. He has scratched players who were about to play in significant games and has been accused of treating arena staff poorly.

Whether all of the incidents that Babcock was supposedly part of happened or not is up for debate, but his ultimate downfall will be the incident that reportedly occurred after being hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was reported he asked players to look through their photos on their phones.

Whether you liked Mike Babcock or not, his coaching methods, personality traits and difficulty with interpersonal interactions have led to him being rather unpopular in hockey circles and amongst hockey players alike.

What do you think his legacy will be?

Source - Oilers Daily