ABOVE: The Toronto Maple leafs are hoping longtime Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock can reverse the team’s fortunes
TORONTO – Toronto Maple Leafs new head coach Mike Babcock thanked his former team and city in a full-page ad in a Detroit newspaper.
The former Red Wings coach thanked ‘Hockeytown’ in Friday’s edition of the Detroit Free Press.
The ad features a portrait of Babcock and a photo of him raising the Stanley Cup with his family surrounding him, and a note to fans.
Detroit Red Wings fans,
Thank you for an amazing 10 years!
We’ll never forget the support you’ve provided us and will always cherish the memories we’ve shared together in Hockeytown.
– The Babcocks
The 52-year-old signed an eight-year contract with Toronto worth $50 million. He was formally introduced as the team’s new head coach Thursday.
Babcock is among others in the sporting world who have thanked fans in full-page newspaper ads after before parting ways.
WATCH: Mike Babcock bids emotional farewell to the Detroit Red Wings
In Toronto, former Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay thanked the city after he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.
My wife Brandy, sons Braden and Ryan, and I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Toronto Blue Jays organization, its incredible fans, and the city of Toronto.
I feel blessed to have been part of the Blue Jays since 1995 and am extremely thankful for the opportunities it has provided. Throughout the past 15 years, there have been so many people within the organization that have made a wonderful and significant impact in my life, it would be impossible to name them all.
I am sincerely grateful for the incredible support and compassion the Blue Jays fans have shown me. I am in awe of your overwhelming passion and devotion.
Toronto will forever have a special place in my heart.
The memories will last a lifetime and so will my gratitude.
Best Regards,
Roy
In 2010, NBA star LeBron James thanked his hometown of Akron, Ohio after he announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat.
However, James faced backlash for the ad as he thanked the people of Akron for their support and failed to mention Cleveland.
To My Family, Friends and Fans in Akron:
For all my life, I have lived in Akron — and for that, I am truly a lucky man.
It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.
Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It’s where I started, and it’s where I will always come back to. You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me.
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