Mike Babcock returns to Toronto behind the Oilers bench

Mike Babcock will coach from the visitors’ bench at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday when the Edmonton Oilers visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will be his first game coaching in Toronto since the Maple Leafs dismissed him in November 2019.

Babcock spoke after Edmonton’s Friday practice in Toronto. He said he enjoyed his time in the city and was grateful to Edmonton’s players for helping persuade him to coach again. The Oilers have won three straight and entered the weekend with a 14–3–3 record, atop the Pacific Division.

The Oilers hired Babcock in June, more than six years after Toronto dismissed him 23 games into the 2019–20 season.