As a young player enters the fray, Babcock opines about the opportunity lying ahead, his thick Saskatchewan accent aggressively punctuating the p’s.
It’s gotten to the point where, when I see that word written down, I can’t help but read it in Babcock’s voice. His unique vernacular is ingrained within my subconscious.
This is my life now, I guess.
An insistence on opportunity doesn’t only rest at the NHL level. In fact, the coach within the Leafs organization whose actions are most closely synonymous with “opportunity” isn’t Babcock at all.
That honour goes to Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe.