Mike Babcock failing the Leafs in a big way in one category
Mike Babcock has been seen as a type of savior for the Maple Leafs since he agreed over the summer to take his coaching career to Toronto, but there is one area in which Babcock has been sorely lacking for the Leafs: too many men on the ice penalties.
The Leafs were called for a too many men penalty in the first period of Sunday night's game against the Rangers. The bench infraction was the team's seventh of the season, and they lead the league in bench minors so far this season. The next closest teams to them in that category -- the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks -- have three fewer bench minors than the Leafs.
Now, too many men penalties are not solely the fault of the head coach. It can also be attributed to confused players, someone who is slow to get off the ice or general confusion on the bench. But Babcock's Red Wings last season also had a high number of bench minors (11, good for fifth-worst in the league), meaning it's possible to make an argument that bench minors are the mark of a Babcock-coached team.
