Babcock steps down as Huskies’ head coach

Mike Babcock’s time as the University of Saskatchewan Huskies’ head coach is over after just one season.

The Huskies men’s hockey team announced Thursday the former NHL coach had resigned. The team’s statement didn’t include a reason for Babcock’s resignation.

Saskatchewan finished the 2021-22 Canada West regular season with a 13-7-0 record. The Huskies lost to the Calgary Dinos in a conference quarterfinal, falling two games to one.

Babcock joined the Huskies in February of 2021 after spending 16-plus seasons as a coach in the NHL, with stints with the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. He won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.

He was fired 23 games into the 2019-20 season while in his fifth campaign with the Maple Leafs.

When Babcock joined the Huskies, it was announced he would guide the team on a volunteer basis for two seasons.

Brandin Cote, who served as an associate coach under Babcock last year with the Huskies, has been named the team’s interim head coach.

The Swift Current product has experience as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos and with Red Deer College. Cote has also led Team Alberta, the Red Deer Under-18 Chiefs and the Bentley Generals as a head coach.

As a player, Cote spent time with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs and had stops in the American Hockey League, the East Coast Hockey League and leagues in Germany, Italy, and England.

“I am incredibly honoured and humbled for the opportunity to lead the Huskie men’s hockey program,” Cote said in the team’s media release. “My family and I are thrilled to remain a part of the Huskie family and the community of Saskatoon.

“I’d like to thank Mike Babcock for his mentorship and commitment to the program over the past year. I look forward to building upon the rich foundation of history and excellence that is synonymous with Huskie men’s hockey.”

The Huskies are to play an exhibition game against the Regina Cougars on Sept. 9. Saskatchewan’s regular season begins Sept. 30 against the Trinity Western Spartans.

— With files from The Canadian Press