BLOG: Babcock 'having fun' with Oilers ahead of making his return to Toronto

TORONTO, ON – If you’re stuck in the past, you’re never going to improve, and have fun with the people around you while doing it.

That was the morning message from Head Coach Mike Babcock, who didn't want to spend much of his time after Friday's practice discussing his time with the Maple Leafs as he prepares to take command of the visiting team’s bench in Toronto for the first time since his departure almost seven years ago.

Instead, the 63-year-old was keen to talk about the growth and success of the Edmonton Oilers – his new club that’s aiming to start off another segment for games that begin in Toronto on Saturday strongly after winning their last three games in a row, improving to 14-3-3 and leading the Pacific Division.

“I love being here,” Babcock said.  “It was a lot of fun when I was here. I enjoyed it a lot. Hanging out there in Yorkville last night for a minute was kind of nice too. A nice city, good people, good fans and a good team, so it's always fun to be back.”

Beyond the simple pleasantries, when pressed by local media about how he hopes to be remembered in Toronto, where he coached for four seasons before being relieved of his duties 23 games into the 2019-20 season, Babcock delivered a quick rebuttal that took about as long as the time it took for him to close that chapter.

“I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about that,” he said.

“You know this is five years ago, right?” he added. “The Beatles broke up, remember?”

Because the truth is, this new chapter with the Oilers has been a revelation for Babcock, who was brought out of retirement by the team’s leadership group this past summer and is enjoying each day – from the honest conversations on the ice and in the locker room, to working with the staff, the players, and everything in between.

“I'm very thankful for those guys who came to see me,” Babcock said, “I didn't know I was going to have this much fun doing it. It's been great, with lots of laughs, and I get to join the guys.  We got a really good leadership group. We got fun people, we got good pros, and they have fun, and I'm having fun, so it's been good.”

Babcock recalled the first few years in Toronto as successful, including the chance to draft Auston Matthews, which led to more regular-season point records for the franchise before falling short of expectations in the playoffs and him being relieved of his coaching duties in 2019.

He's had the opportunity to work elite talent, but none quite like McDavid, who described Babcock as a guy who brings juice to every practice and video session while pushing for him & others to uphold a high standard in everything they do, which is ultimately what the core leadership group of the Oilers asked for.

"He's come in and set a standard here that we strive to meet every day, and when we don't, we hear about it, and that's what we want. He's come in and been great," McDavid said.

"The coaching staff brings a lot of juice, and it's been great. Even at practice like today, you can feel the energy kind of out there on the ice, and I feel like at times we were missing that a little bit last year. So there's definitely a good feeling going around."

Seven years on, with the Oilers off to a great start and pushing to set themselves up for greater playoff exploits, Babcock said what worked at times during his Maple Leafs tenure wouldn't work in Edmonton.

For him, that's one of the great parts about being an NHL coach – constantly finding what works in today's league, because what worked in the past isn't going to cut it.

"Obviously, I've been fortunate to get to coach as long as I have and to enjoy it as much as I have, and very thankful to the NHL for that. But I think everything changes, and what won last year can't win the next year. You have to get better," he said.

"It's lifelong learning, like anything, and you gotta embrace it. So I think that's where the fun is though – trying to get better."