We knew it was coming, but now it's official: Mike Babcock will once again return as Team Canada's head coach, this time for the World Cup of Hockey.
He'll have an impressive array of other NHL head coaches under him: Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins, Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks, Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals, and Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes.
It's fun to think of Babcock, the Maple Leafs' head coach, being in charge of all of them.
"Mike is the only coach to have won a Stanley Cup, a World Championship, and an Olympic gold medal, and thus, Mike's resume speaks for itself," General Manager Doug Armstrong said at a press conference. "He's proven that he can take a group of players and mold them quickly and effectively into a two-week tournament, and come out on top."
Well, that's definitely true - and no example was probably clearer than the Sochi Olympics, where Team Canada looked unbeatable throughout (although Latvia sure came close!).
Babcock used the word "best" a lot while describing coaching international tournaments, so you know his standards are high.
As they should be, because, well, it's Canada.