Babcock learns lesson after gifting Blue Jackets extended power play
The rare teachable moment for Mike Babcock.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were forced to defend an on-ice personnel disparity for almost seven minutes Wednesday versus the Columbus Blue Jackets because their coach decided not to send a man over the boards to serve a five-minute major penalty assessed to Roman Polak.
It's unclear why Babcock hesitated on the decision (or how the rationale hasn't burned him previously after more than 1,100 games behind an NHL bench) but coaches do have the option to wait on that selection, instead sending a player to the box during a stoppage.
In most cases, the whistle will come. But it's not something Babcock will take for granted again.
"It's all my fault .. that will never happen again," Babcock said, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton.
"I can tell you I will never wait to put a guy in. You're going whether you like it or not."
As it turns out, the penalty killers picked up their coach. Columbus was without a shot more than four minutes into its power-play try, as the Maple Leafs clamped down on the opposition even well before the near-two-minute bonus was inadvertently added.
Toronto scored twice more after the kill, earning a massive 5-2 win.