| Mike Babcock | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Babcock in January 2013 | |||
| Born | (1963-04-29)April 29, 1963 (age 62) Manitouwadge,Ontario, Canada | ||
| Coached for | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| Coaching career | 1991–2023 | ||
Mike Babcock (born April 29, 1963) is a Canadian formerice hockey player and coach. He spent parts of eighteen seasons as a head coach in theNational Hockey League (NHL), beginning when he was named head coach of theMighty Ducks of Anaheim, whom he led to the2003 Stanley Cup Finals. In 2005, Babcock signed with theDetroit Red Wings, winning theStanley Cup with them in 2008, and helping them to theStanley Cup playoffs every year during his tenure and setting a record for most wins in Red Wings history. In 2015, he left Detroit to coach theToronto Maple Leafs, a position he held until he was fired in 2019. During his coaching tenure from 1991 to 2019, Babcock's teams missed the post-season only four times. In 2023, he attempted a return to the NHL with theColumbus Blue Jackets; however, he resigned in disgrace before the beginning of the2023–24 season amidst investigations into allegations of misconduct.
Babcock also gained extensive experience coaching internationally. As of April 2025, he is the only coach to gain entry to theTriple Gold Club, winning the Stanley Cup, IIHF World Championships, and coaching an Olympic gold medal-winning team. He guided the Red Wings to theStanley Cup in2008; he coachedTeam Canada to gold at theIIHFIce Hockey World Championships in2004; and he coached Canada to gold at both the2010 Winter Olympics inVancouver and the2014 Winter Olympics inSochi. Babcock is the only coach to win six distinct national or international titles. He also guided Canada to gold at the2016 World Cup of Hockey, the IIHFWorld Junior Championships in1997, and he coached theUniversity of Lethbridge to theCIS University Cup in 1994.
Since the end of his tenure with the Maple Leafs, Babcock has been the subject of public criticism from many former players about his professional conduct, including allegations of verbal abuse and mistreatment.
Babcock was born inManitouwadge,Ontario, and grew up inSaskatoon,Saskatchewan.[1] Babcock played for theSaskatoon Blades of theWestern Hockey League (WHL) in 1980–81 and spent a season with theKelowna Wings in 1982–83. In between, he played a year underDave King at theUniversity of Saskatchewan, and after Kelowna, he transferred toMcGill University to play for coachKen Tyler. In September 1985, Babcock also attended theVancouver Canucks NHL training camp, and played one exhibition game with the team.[2]
Babcock graduated from McGill in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and also did post-graduate work in sports psychology. In 146 career games with theRedmen, he tallied 22 goals and 85 assists for a total of 107 points and 301 penalty minutes, graduating as the second-highest-scoring defenceman in McGill history. Over four seasons from 1983–84 to 1986–87, he was a two-time all-star defenceman, served as captain, and won the Bobby Bell trophy as team MVP.[3] While at McGill, Babcock joined the Tau Alpha chapter ofDelta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
After his time at McGill, Babcock moved to theUnited Kingdom in 1987 as a player-coach for theWhitley Warriors. The team missed out on the league title by two points. In 49 games, he contributed 45 goals and 127 assists and accumulated 123 penalty minutes.
Babcock is one of four McGill University players to coach an NHL team, joiningLester Patrick with theNew York Rangers,George Burnett with theEdmonton Oilers, andGuy Boucher with theTampa Bay Lightning andOttawa Senators. In 2008, Babcock became the second McGill hockey player to coach aStanley Cup winner after Patrick.
Babcock has had a distinguished coaching career, coaching continuously from 1987 to 2019, including from 2002 to 2019 in the NHL. When he was fired by the Maple Leafs in 2019, he had amassed an NHL coaching record of 700-418-164-19, with his 700 wins currently placing him 12th all-time in coaching wins, as of 2023.[4]
Red Deer College
In 1988, Babcock was appointed head coach atRed Deer College in Alberta. He spent three seasons at the school, winning the provincial collegiate championship and earning coach-of-the-year honours in 1989.
Moose Jaw (WHL)
Babcock moved to the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1991, where he guided theMoose Jaw Warriors for a two-year term. Babcock was fired by the team in 1993 after missing the playoffs and nearly left coaching when he accepted a job in business consulting; however, he was then offered the head coaching position at theUniversity of Lethbridge, and decided to accept.[5]
University of Lethbridge (CIS)
Babcock coached the strugglingLethbridge Pronghorns and helped turn the program around. He earned Canada West coach-of-the-year honours in 1993–94 after guiding Lethbridge to their first-ever appearance in post-season play with a 34–11–3 overall mark and a nationalCIS Cup title after defeating theGuelph Gryphons 5–2 in the championship final.
Spokane (WHL)
In 1994, Babcock was appointed head coach of the WHL'sSpokane Chiefs, with whom he posted a regular-season record of 224–172–29 over six seasons for a .564 winning percentage. He was twice named as the West Division coach of the year, in 1995–1996 and 1999–2000. The team advanced to the final round of the playoffs in 1995–96, a series they lost 4–1 to theBrandon Wheat Kings. The team also participated in the1998 Memorial Cup by virtue of hosting the tournament; Spokane lost in the semi-final against theGuelph Storm, 2–1 in overtime.
Cincinnati (AHL)
From 2000–01 to 2001–02, Babcock guided theAmerican Hockey League'sCincinnati Mighty Ducks to a 74–59–20–7 record, including a franchise-high 41 wins and 95 points. The team qualified for the playoffs in both years.
Babcock was named head coach of the NHL'sMighty Ducks of Anaheim on May 22, 2002, and through two seasons, guided them to a combined 69–62–19–14 regular season record. In theStanley Cup playoffs with the Ducks, he posted a 15–6 record, leading the Mighty Ducks to the team's firstStanley Cup Finals in2003, where they lost in seven games to theNew Jersey Devils.
Following the2004–05 NHL lockout, Babcock declined an offer to remain with the Ducks, and on July 15, 2005, was named head coach of theDetroit Red Wings. In his first three seasons, Babcock led the Red Wings to a combined 162–56–28 regular season record and a 28–18 playoff record. The team won thePresidents' Trophy with the league's best record in2005–06 and2007–08. In the2006 playoffs, the heavily favored Red Wings were upset in the first round by theEdmonton Oilers. The following season, Babcock and the Red Wings were eliminated by his former club, the Anaheim Ducks, in the Western Conference Finals of the2007 playoffs; the Ducks went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Babcock earned his 200th NHL career win the following season in Detroit's 5–2 victory over theFlorida Panthers on December 15, 2007. Babcock was selected to coach theWestern Conference at the2008 All-Star Game. The Red Wings entered the2008 playoffs as favorites, and dispatched theNashville Predators,Colorado Avalanche, andDallas Stars en route to theStanley Cup Finals. On June 4, 2008, he led the Red Wings to aStanley Cup championship, the team's fourth since 1997, by defeating thePittsburgh Penguins in game six of the Finals.
Babcock was named a finalist for theJack Adams Award after the season, awarded to the coach who best contributes to his team's success, but ultimately finished third behindBruce Boudreau of theWashington Capitals andGuy Carbonneau of theMontreal Canadiens.[6] In June 2008, Babcock signed a three-year contract extension with the Red Wings.
In the2008–09 season, the Red Wings finished second in the Western Conference and again made theStanley Cup Finals, where they faced a re-match against the Penguins. Although the Wings had home-ice advantage and held a 3–2 series lead after a 5–0 victory at home in game five, the Penguins came back to avenge their loss and defeated Detroit in seven games. With the loss in game seven, Babcock became the first head coach to lose a Stanley Cup Finals series in game seven with two different teams.[7]
In October 2010, Babcock signed a four-year extension with the Red Wings that saw him through to the end of the2014–15 season.[8] In the2011 playoffs, Babcock's Red Wings fell behind theSan Jose Sharks three games to none in the second round but won three straight to force a seventh game, which the Wings lost 3–2.
On April 8, 2014, Babcock earned his 414th career win as head coach of the Red Wings, surpassingJack Adams for most wins as coach in team history.[9] Babcock was announced as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the2013–14 season, his second nomination, but finished second in voting behindPatrick Roy of the Avalanche.[10]
On December 6, 2014, Babcock earned his 500th career win as a head coach, becoming the second-fastest coach in NHL history to do so; onlyHockey Hall of Famer and former Red Wings coachScotty Bowman reached the 500-win plateau faster.[11]
In 10 seasons with the Wings, Babcock coached the team past the 100-point plateau eight times; however, after their second consecutive trip to the Finals in 2009, the team won only three more playoff series under Babcock and failed to advance past the second round.
After failing to come to terms on a contract extension with the Red Wings, Babcock received permission to seek employment elsewhere on May 8, 2015. TheBuffalo Sabres, who had the best odds at picking first overall in the2015 NHL Entry Draft for the right to select phenomConnor McDavid, were considered the most serious contenders for Babcock's services, with theSt. Louis Blues andSan Jose Sharks also being in the mix.[12] However, on May 20, 2015, it was announced that Babcock would become the new head coach of theToronto Maple Leafs.[13] He signed an eight-year contract worth $50 million (an average of $6.25 million per season), making him the highest-paid coach in NHL history by more than double the previous record holder's annual earnings.[14] Before Babcock signed the contract,Todd McLellan of the Edmonton Oilers was the highest-paid coach in the NHL, reportedly earning $3 million per season.[15] The Leafs had failed to make the playoffs in nine of the previous ten seasons, and had not won a playoff series since2004. The signing of Babcock by general managerLou Lamoriello was seen as an important move in changing the team's fortunes.
On October 7, 2015, Babcock became the first NHL coach to use the league's newly implementedcoach's challenge in a season opener loss against theMontreal Canadiens.[16] Babcock coached his 1,000th NHL game during his first season with the Leafs, on February 4, 2016, against the New Jersey Devils.[17] The Maple Leafs finished last overall that season, compiling a record of 29–42–11 for 69 points. However, the rebuilding team had been expected to do poorly. This season marked the first time Babcock missed the playoffs since2004 with the Mighty Ducks. The last-place finish gave the Maple Leafs the best odds at winning the draft lottery ahead of the2016 draft. They were awarded the first selection and picked the coveted centreAuston Matthews. The draft helped to increase expectations for the Leafs, and the2016–17 season was marked by many high-end rookies making the team, including Matthews,William Nylander,Mitch Marner,Nikita Zaitsev andConnor Brown. Those rookies, along with the addition of goaltenderFrederik Andersen, helped the team to qualify for the2017 playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference, marking a rare occasion where a team goes from last in the league to capture a playoff appearance.[18] Toronto faced the back-to-backPresidents' Trophy winningWashington Capitals in the first round. The Maple Leafs pushed the Capitals to six games—with five games going to overtime, tying an NHL record—before the team was eliminated by the Capitals.[19] Babcock's coaching was praised throughout the playoffs as it was during the regular season, with many lauding his attempts at player development while maintaining a high level of team success.[18] Babcock was nominated for theJack Adams Award, but once again lost, this time toJohn Tortorella of theColumbus Blue Jackets.
After their rapid turnaround, expectations for the Maple Leafs grew, but despite regular season success having finished as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference in both the2017–18 and2018–19 seasons, the team proved unable to break through in the playoffs, losing seven-game first-round playoff series in back-to-back years to theBoston Bruins in2018 and2019.
On November 20, 2019, nearly two months into the2019–20 season, the Maple Leafs fired Babcock after a six-game losing streak and amidst allegations of a toxic work environment.[20][21][22] At the time, the team had a record of 9–10–4 and were outside of the playoffs, despite being projected before the season began to be playoff contenders. This was the first time in Babcock's professional coaching career that he had been fired.
On July 29, 2020, theUniversity of Vermont announced that Babcock would be joining the school'sCatamounts ice hockey team as an unpaid assistant coach under head coachTodd Woodcroft.[23] On February 20, 2021, theUniversity of Saskatchewan Huskies announced that Babcock would become the coach of the men's ice hockey team for two seasons starting May 2021 on a volunteer basis.[24] Babcock took the opportunity to coach in his hometown in large part for the chance to coach alongside his son, Michael Jr, who was pursuing a degree at the U of S and joined Mike on the bench as an assistant coach.[5] Despite accepting a position with Saskatchewan, Babcock remained with Vermont until the end of the2020–21 season.[25]
Babcock opted to resign after one season with the Huskies on August 25, 2022, stating that he wanted to provide an opportunity for a bigger role for the team's assistant coaches.[5] The team had posted a 14–9 record under Babcock. The following day, Babcock announced that he was retiring from coaching.[26]
On July 1, 2023, Babcock was named the head coach of theColumbus Blue Jackets, his first NHL position since 2019, signing a two-year, $8 million contract to become the highest paid coach in team history.[27][28] On September 12, ten weeks after being named head coach, allegations of improper behavior surfaced on theSpittin' Chiclets podcast, with reports that Babcock had ordered players to show him their cellphone photos as part of a character building exercise. In response to the reports, the NHL andNHLPA both opened investigations into Babcock's behavior.[29] Initial investigations did not find any reports of wrongdoing or discomfort from the players, including general managerJarmo Kekäläinen, who Babcock had also asked to see photos from. However, as the investigations progressed, it was learned that several players, especially younger members of the roster, were uncomfortable with Babcock's behavior.[30] Shortly after both investigations concluded, the parties contacted the Blue Jackets with their findings, at which point the team determined that there was no scenario for Babcock to stay on. After two days of contract settlement negotiations, Babcock announced his resignation as head coach on September 17, before the start of the team's training camp.[31][32][33] The team subsequently apologized to their players for hiring Babcock amid fan criticism of the decision, given previous revelations regarding Babcock's perceived toxic coaching methodologies and interactions in both Detroit and Toronto.[28][34]
In addition to his club coaching roles, Babcock has had a long career coaching withHockey Canada. He first coached Canada'sjunior team at the1997 World Junior Championships in Switzerland, where the country won a fifth consecutive gold medal, defeating the United States 2–0 in the final. Babcock coached Canada'ssenior team for the first time at the2004 IIHF World Championships in the Czech Republic, guiding Canada to a second consecutive gold medal with a 5–3 win over Sweden in the final.
On June 24, 2009, Babcock was announced as the head coach of Team Canada for the2010 Winter Olympics inVancouver.[35] The team finished the round robin with a regulation win over Norway, a shootout win over Switzerland, and a loss to the United States. In the elimination rounds they defeated Germany, Russia, and then Slovakia to advance to the final, where they defeated the United States 3–2 in overtime to win the gold medal.[36] With the win, Babcock became the first coach—and only thus far—in theInternational Ice Hockey Federation'sTriple Gold Club,[37][38] which he earned through his team's Olympic Gold, World Championship gold, and 2008 Stanley Cup titles.[37][38] To honour Babcock's entrance into the Triple Gold Club, his hometown ofSaskatoon announced that July 17, 2010 would be known as "Mike Babcock Day."[39]
On July 22, 2013, it was announced that Babcock would return as head coach of Team Canada for the2014 Winter Olympics inSochi.[40] The team finished the round robin with regulation wins over Norway, and Austria, and an overtime win over Finland. In the quarterfinals they defeated Latvia, and in the semifinals, they defeated the United States to advance to the gold medal game, where they defeated Sweden 3–0.[41] With the win, Babcock became only the second head coach to lead one country to a gold medal victory in consecutive Olympic appearances, afterViktor Tikhonov with theSoviet team in 1984 and 1988.[42]
Babcock also coached Canada to victory at the2016 World Cup of Hockey, making him the first and only coach to date to have won the Stanley Cup, World Cup, World Championship, and World Junior Championship, and coach an Olympic gold medal-winning team.[43]
Babcock's teams generally focus on puck possession over physical play and toughness. Babcock emphasized building a team that excelled at puck possession rather than enforcement in Detroit.[44] Babcock's teams consistently had the fewest penalty minutes of any NHL team;[45] from 2005 to 2015, the Red Wings averaged 22 percent fewer penalty minutes than the league average, and 44 percent fewer penalty minutes than the highest league total.[46][47][48]
Babcock has faced public criticism from a number of former players who allege mistreatment throughout the length of his NHL career.[49]Mike Commodore was among the first to voice public criticism towards Babcock, and has been among his fiercest critics, stemming from Commodore's days in the Mighty Ducks organization.[50] Commodore has alleged that Babcock purposefully held him back in Cincinnati because he did not like him, doing the same thing a decade later with the Red Wings after reassuring Commodore before the season that he would get playing time if he signed with the team.[51] Babcock addressed Commodore's criticisms in March 2021, stating that Commodore was scratched because he did not perform better than other defenders on the2011–12 Red Wings team—he claimed that he did not recall many interactions with Commodore in Cincinnati—and refuted that Commodore was scratched because of a personal vendetta.[52]
However, numerous other players have also voiced criticism of Babcock for his management style and treatment of players.Johan Franzén, who played for Babcock in Detroit, called him a "terrible man, the worst person I've ever met," and accused Babcock of verbally abusing him during a game in the first round of the2012 Stanley Cup playoffs against theNashville Predators, which was corroborated by former teammateChris Chelios.[53] On their podcastSpittin' Chiclets, former NHL playersPaul Bissonnette andRyan Whitney described Babcock as "a truly bad person", and his coaching methods as personally directedpsychological abuse.[54] They contrasted Babcock withJohn Tortorella, another coach who is notoriously tough on his players and widely disliked as a result, by noting that Tortorella's methods are hockey related and he treats his players respectfully when off the ice.[54] Tortorella has "had difficult relationships with players at times, but he seemed to come by those honestly due to his bluntness as a human being. You didn't hear accusations of Torts doing anything like Babcock's infamous Mitch Marner incident".[55]Sean Avery has defended Babcock's approach, saying "Babcock wouldn’t show his cards. He has a manipulative personality for the purpose of being a good coach — you have to have one. John Tortorella has no manipulation in him whatsoever. He only has one gear, and that’s to scream at people and thinks that that’s manipulation or motivation.[56]
Babcock has been criticized for mistreating both veteran and rookie players alike.[57] Similar to Tortorella (who benchedVancouver Canucks franchise goalieRoberto Luongo for theHeritage Classic[58][59][60]), Babcock has been accused of scratching players ahead of games of personal significance, such as: removingMike Modano from the lineup before his 1500th game, towards the end of the2010–11 season in April 2011, without any reasoning behind it; benching Chelios at the2009 Winter Classic against his hometown team, theChicago Blackhawks, on January 1, 2009; and not playingJason Spezza in the Maple Leafs'2019–20 season-opening game against his former team, theOttawa Senators (with whom Spezza spent the bulk of his career), without any reasoning and with Spezza's family and friends in attendance.[61][62]Jason York has accused Babcock of arbitrarily banning a group of three veteran players from the Mighty Ducks training camp in 2002.[49] Babcock was criticized for mistreatingMitch Marner during the2016–17 season, his rookie season with the Maple Leafs, asking him in a January 2017 meeting to rank his teammates in order of their work ethic and then sharing the list with other members of the team. After teammatesNazem Kadri andTyler Bozek stormed into Babcock's office on Marner's behalf, Babcock initially defending the exercise and the thought process behind it but ending up apologized to Marner for the incident.[63] Kadri also recalled that Babcock asked all the trainers to rank players on the level of effort they put into their gym routines, on the assumption that the information would be kept confidential, then Babcock shared all these assessments in front of the entire team, suggesting that the aim of this was to embarrass the training staff as well as eroding their standing in the players' eyes.[64] Moreover, Babcock has been accused of verbally abusing arena staff throughout his career.[49]
Although Babcock's coaching acumen has been generally praised as being superior to contemporaries (at times, being seen as the best coach in the sport),[31] the revelations about his treatment of players were seen to have delayed his return to the NHL after he was fired by the Leafs in November 2019, although the actual reason was because he remained under contract with a non-compete clause despite being relieved of his coaching duties with the Leafs.[28][31] He would not get another NHL job until his hiring by Columbus, once his Leafs contract expired and also as Babcock had professed to Blue Jackets management that he had changed his ways. Babcock's brief tenure with the Blue Jackets was marked by controversy after it was reported in September 2023 that he had asked players in pre-season meetings to look through photos on their phones. Although the team and captainBoone Jenner initially downplayed the alleged incidents, an investigation by the NHLPA revealed that several members of the Blue Jackets were uncomfortable with Babcock's approach and that in at least one instance, Babcock spent several minutes looking through a player's phone.[65] The controversy resulted in Babcock announcing his resignation before coaching a game for the team.[66]
By the end of his time in Columbus, Babcock's coaching methodologies, personality, and interpersonal interactions had led to him being broadly unpopular among hockey players and several hockey circles.[49][67][66]Nazem Kadri wrote in his book that Babcock "was really into the psychological aspects of performance. He'd been a psychology major at McGill University, a fact that everyone seemed to know, [and] was interested in ways to motivate players, to get the most out of them by knowing what buttons to press, what games to play". However, "over a long period of time, that can wear on you, and so these kids of coaches often have a shelf life. Obviously, there was some benefit because Babs had a lot of success". Kadri summed up Babcock as an "old-school authoritarian bench bosses" and "with players having changed so much over the past decade, there's no longer a place in the league for mind games like that".[68]
Babcock is of Irish descent through a grandfather.[69] Babcock and his wife, Maureen, have three children.[70] Born in Manitouwadge, Ontario, he spent the majority of his childhood moving around betweenNorthern Ontario,Manitoba, and theNorthwest Territories, before his family settled in Saskatoon, which he considers his hometown, in 1975.[70] Babcock attended bothSt. James Elementary School andHoly Cross High School; Babcock is one of the many notable graduates on Holy Cross High School's "Wall of Honour."
Babcock has been an advocate for theBell Let's Talk campaign, theCentre for Addiction and Mental Health, and other mental health awareness campaigns.[71] In 2017, he became involved with a campaign called Ahead of the Game to raise money for youth mental health in sport.[71]
On November 25, 2013, he was awarded anhonoraryDoctor of Laws byMcGill University.[72] He received the same honour from theUniversity of Saskatchewan on June 2, 2016.[73] Babcock was made a member of theOrder of Hockey in Canada in 2018.[74]
| Year | Team | W | L | OT/T | Finish | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–92 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 33 | 36 | 3 | 6th in East | Lost East Division quarter-final (PAR) |
| 1992–93 | Moose Jaw Warriors | 27 | 42 | 3 | 8th in East | Did not qualify |
| 1994–95 | Spokane Chiefs | 32 | 36 | 4 | 5th West | Lost West Division semi-final (TCA) |
| 1995–96 | Spokane Chiefs | 50 | 18 | 4 | 1st in West | Lost WHL finals (BWK) |
| 1996–97 | Spokane Chiefs | 35 | 33 | 4 | 3rd in West | Lost West Division semi-final (KEL) |
| 1997–98 | Spokane Chiefs | 45 | 23 | 4 | 2nd in West | Lost West Division final (POR) |
| 1998–99 | Spokane Chiefs | 19 | 44 | 9 | 7th in West | Did not qualify |
| 1999–2000 | Spokane Chiefs | 47 | 19 | 6 | 1st in West | Lost WHL finals (KI) |
| Year | Team | W | L | OT/T | Finish | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2nd in South | Lost in first round (NOR) |
| 2001–02 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | 33 | 33 | 14 | 3rd in Central | Lost in preliminary round (CHI) |
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | G | W | L | Win% | Result | ||
| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 2002–03 | 82 | 40 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 95 | 2nd inPacific | 21 | 15 | 6 | .714 | Lost inStanley Cup Finals (NJD) |
| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 2003–04 | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 76 | 4th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim totals | 164 | 69 | 62 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 15 | 6 | .714 | ||||
| Detroit Red Wings | 2005–06 | 82 | 58 | 16 | — | 8 | 124 | 1st inCentral | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (EDM) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2006–07 | 82 | 50 | 19 | — | 13 | 113 | 1st in Central | 18 | 10 | 8 | .556 | Lost in Conference finals (ANA) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2007–08 | 82 | 54 | 21 | — | 7 | 115 | 1st in Central | 22 | 16 | 6 | .727 | WonStanley Cup (PIT) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2008–09 | 82 | 51 | 21 | — | 10 | 112 | 1st in Central | 23 | 15 | 8 | .652 | Lost inStanley Cup Finals (PIT) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2009–10 | 82 | 44 | 24 | — | 14 | 102 | 2nd in Central | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | Lost in Conference semifinals (SJS) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2010–11 | 82 | 47 | 25 | — | 10 | 104 | 1st in Central | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 | Lost in Conference semifinals (SJS) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2011–12 | 82 | 48 | 28 | — | 6 | 102 | 3rd in Central | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (NSH) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2012–13 | 48 | 24 | 16 | — | 8 | 56 | 3rd in Central | 14 | 7 | 7 | .500 | Lost in Conference semifinals (CHI) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2013–14 | 82 | 39 | 28 | — | 15 | 93 | 4th inAtlantic | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Lost in first round (BOS) |
| Detroit Red Wings | 2014–15 | 82 | 43 | 25 | — | 14 | 100 | 3rd in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round (TBL) |
| Detroit Red Wings totals | 786 | 458 | 223 | — | 105 | 123 | 67 | 56 | .545 | ||||
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2015–16 | 82 | 29 | 42 | — | 11 | 69 | 8th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2016–17 | 82 | 40 | 27 | — | 15 | 95 | 4th in Atlantic | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in first round (WSH) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2017–18 | 82 | 49 | 26 | — | 7 | 105 | 3rd in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round (BOS) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2018–19 | 82 | 46 | 28 | — | 8 | 100 | 3rd in Atlantic | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in first round (BOS) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 2019–20 | 23 | 9 | 10 | — | 4 | 22 | Fired | — | — | — | — | — |
| Toronto Maple Leafs totals | 351 | 173 | 133 | — | 45 | 20 | 8 | 12 | .400 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1,301 | 700 | 418 | 19 | 164 | 164 | 90 | 74 | .549 | 1 Stanley Cup 14 playoff appearances | |||
The Penguins...beat the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1...in Game 7 and win the Stanley Cup for the third time...In 2003...the last series in which the home team won all seven games...the Mighty Ducks team that lost then was coached by current Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2002–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings 2005–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Peter Horachek Interim | Head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs 2015–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets 2023 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
