Leafs draft pick shares story about trick-or-treating at Mike Babcock's house

Freshly-minted NHL prospects often have plenty of stories to share at the draft, but this one may be one of the best yet.

Nick Robertson, who was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, shared a doozy that involves Mike Babcock, the head coach Robertson hopes to serve in the near future.

As it turns out, Robertson and Babcock have taken pretty similar paths through North America in the last several years. It started in California, where Robertson was born in 2001. Babcock wasn’t too far away as he began coaching the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2002.

Babcock then took a gig in Detroit with the Red Wings in 2005, and Robertson wasn’t too far behind. The youngster eventually moved with his family to the Northfield, Michigan, area shortly after Babcock began running the bench in Detroit.

And with the Maple Leafs drafting Robertson last weekend, the two now find themselves together in Toronto — or the surrounding area, as Robertson will likely head back to the OHL’s Peterborough Petes for the 2019-20 season.

Robertson has a history with Babcock that the Leafs head coach may not remember. During his time in Northfield, Robertson apparently knew that Babcock lived nearby and one year during Halloween, the youngster had the perfect plan to get some face time with the former Red Wings coach.

“Well it started off in California, obviously I was born there,” Robertson shared, according to TSN. “Then he got a coaching job in Detroit and I moved to Northfield, Michigan, that’s kind of where he lived. I remember trick-or-treating with a Pavel Datsyuk jersey on. I remember him and his wife greeting me at the door and giving me some candy.

“I know he lived around there, and I kept telling my sister — because we were the only ones trick-or-treating really young — I said, I had a Datsyuk jersey on and I was like, ‘I gotta go to Babcock’s house! Gotta go to Babcock’s house!’

“I remember it was getting late and I was running and trying to knock on everyone’s door and like, ‘are you Babcock? And then run over to the next one, ‘are you Babcock?’ And then finally I got him and I think I asked him about Datsyuk, that was my favourite player at the time. It’s just funny when you think about those things.”

It’s a story that Robertson won’t soon forget, but it looks like Babcock needed a bit of a refresher.

“He was surprised,” said Robertson, when asked about Babcock’s reaction to the story. “I mean, I don’t think you could ever imagine a kid trick-or-treating at his house is drafted by the team he’s coaching. It’s an amazing story, I know my story is kind of unique so it’s pretty special.

“My goal one day is now, you know, not for him to give me candy but to give me shifts.”

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