Mike Babcock, who was fired earlier this season as a coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has been appointed a volunteer advisor to the University of Vermont men’s hockey team.
Catamounts trainer Todd Woodcroft, who worked with Babcock, had the unique opportunity to include the eighth-winning NHL coach in his program. Babcock, 57, one of the more marketable names in the off-season NHL coaching market, has coached 17 league seasons with Anaheim, Detroit and Toronto. He led the ducks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2003 and won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008.
He also coached Team Canada and won the gold medal in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.
“He is a first class coach on all sporting platforms and as a coaching staff we are very lucky to be able to draw on his experience,” said Woodcroft. “Mike’s knowledge, network and, above all, the modern lens with which he views the hockey game will help accelerate the progress of our entire program.”
Babcock was replaced by Sheldon Keefe on November 20 in Toronto. The Maple Leafs had a slow start and ended well with 81 points this season for third place in the Atlantic Division behind Tampa Bay and Boston.
The Maple Leafs meet the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Stanley Cup qualifying series that starts in Toronto on Sunday evening.
Vermont, a member of the Hockey East Conference, was 2-18-4 when the 2019-20 season ended amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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