Lights go out on Leafs, Babcock continues practice (Video)

The lights have gone out on the Toronto Maple Leafs; offensively and in reality.

While practicing Wednesday at the Master Card Centre for Hockey Excellence, the arena’s main lighting went out.

Naturally everyone left the ice, right?

NOPE! This is a Mike Babcock coached team that is coming off of a 7-0 thumping by the Los Angeles Kings.

Babs hinted at what was coming following the loss and made good on it as practice kicked off.

Then during a battle drill the lights suddenly shut off.

The players thought they had lucked out and would be leaving the ice.

The coach sure as heck wasn’t going to let the lack of visibility change his plans. The arena’s emergency lights came on and the team continued.

(If Happy Gilmore taught us anything, an arena with lighting like that requires the soundtrack of ‘Endless Love.’)

Speaking with the media afterwards, Babcock was a salty as expected.

Jonas Siegel of The Canadian Press continued:

By the time the practice ended the ice was entirely chewed up. Mounds of snow were everywhere and remained there. The power was expected to remain out for an extended period in the Etobicoke neighbourhood where the team’s practice facility is located.

Babcock got his message across though, loud and clear. Even in the dark.

“You can’t play like that. You can’t compete like that. You can’t be that light,” he said. “You can’t be the way we were.”

The Leafs hit the ice again on Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers and look for redemption for their season-worst loss. If all goes well, and knowing how superstitious coaches and players are, Babcock just might continue to have practices in the dark, and he’ll be hailed as a genius.

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.