Mike Babcock Discusses Scratching Jason Spezza For His Hometown Debut

Several stories, allegations and criticisms of Mike Babcock emerged after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs early in the 2019-20 season. You may recall the Mitch Marner incident where he allegedly made the rookie cry. You may recall his alleged mistreatment of Johan Franzan during his tenure with the Detroit Red Wings. You may recall sitting Mike Modano and denying him his 1500th NHL career game. He was also criticized for scratching Jason Spezza for the 2019 home opener against his former team. Babcock addressed the Spezza 'incident' on the Cam and Strick Podcast.

Jason Spezza is the former Captain of the Ottawa Senators. He is from Mississauga, ON, which is a part of the Greater Toronto Area. After leaving the Senators and ending a short stint with the Dallas Stars, Spezza signed a one year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. With friends and family in the stands, Spezza was supposed to make his hometown debut against his former Senators team. Instead, Babcock healthy scratched him and he watched the game from the press box.

Spezza has always been a professional, but he made public comments about the incident, stating that he was "disappointed." At the time, Mike Babcock said "it's a joke" about the criticism of his treatment of Spezza. On the Cam and Strick Podcast, Babcock stated that Spezza had not been intimately introduced to the penalty kill and other special teams during practice, which is one of the reasons he decided to sit him out. He further claimed that any decision made as a coach was to win and not for any other reason.

Jason Spezza is such a great guy....Here’s Mike Babcock’s explanation on sitting him home opener ... Cheers dudes 🍻 @MapleLeafs @camandstrickpod pic.twitter.com/5qLCWMrARR
— Cam Janssen (@CamJanssen25) March 10, 2021