Few coaching decisions have aged worse than when Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock engaged in his so-called “rookie test” of Mitch Marner. It wasn’t just awkward—it became a flashpoint in how the NHL thinks about coaching, trust, and the treatment of young players.
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Even years later, the story still resonates, both for what it reveals about Marner’s resilience and for what it uncovers about an old-school culture that was long overdue for change. Many still remember the “test,” but for those who don’t, here’s the story.
The Maple Leafs Players’ List That Crossed the Line
The story broke a couple of years after it happened, but by then the damage was already baked into Maple Leafs lore. In Marner’s rookie season, Babcock asked him to create a list ranking his teammates by how hard they worked. Not a game effort. Not practice habits – just a general sense of who gave the most.
Marner, just 19 and trying to impress, dutifully followed orders. To show humility, he even put himself at the bottom of the list. But then came the twist—Babcock took that list and shared it with the veterans.
That’s where things went from misguided to cruel. A rookie trying to stay afloat suddenly looked like he was evaluating players who had years of NHL experience. He hadn’t volunteered this information. He hadn’t been told how it would be used. He was blindsided.
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Teammates like Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak didn’t take it out on Marner. They knew who had crossed the line. Kadri later admitted he confronted Babcock directly: “You just don’t do that to a rookie.” He was right.
The Fallout for Babcock, and the Thin Apology
When the story came out in late 2019, shortly after Babcock was fired, the coach admitted it was a mistake. He claimed he apologized at the time. But even if he did, it came across as the kind of quick “let’s move on” apology that doesn’t address the harm done.
Imagine being in Marner’s position: a teenager, brand new to the league, suddenly forced to navigate a dressing room where it looked like he had criticized teammates behind their backs….
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