Leafs coach Mike Babcock lists Detroit home, buys in TO

Welcome to Toronto, Mike Babcock. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ new head coach recently listed his Detroit area home, and is now looking for a condo in downtown Toronto.

Armed with an eight-year, $50-million contract, let’s just say Babcock could have his pick of pretty much any new home he wanted. But, with his three grown kids now out of the home, he and wife Maureen are downsizing, Babcock says. So, a downtown Toronto condo it is, ideally within walking distance of the Air Canada Centre.

First, let’s have a look at what he’s giving up in the Detroit suburb of Northville Township, Mich., having left the Detroit Red Wings after 10 years to become the Leafs’ new bench boss.

Listed for $799,999, the 4,486-sq.-ft., four-bedroom home is situated on a private wooded lot, and boasts plenty of living space.

According to the listing on realtor.com, the kitchen has wraparound cabinets and high-end appliances, and the living room has double-decker windows. The study, with its built-in shelves and dark wood paneling, has all the space befitting the only coach in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Triple Gold Club.

The master suite is large and bright with tray ceilings, a large walk-in closet and a massive bathroom with spa tub.

So, what will Babcock’s $799,999 – which converts to approximately $1.05 million in Canadian funds – buy in a downtown Toronto condo? Let’s have a look, courtesy of a few MLS listings on realtor.ca.

A natural choice would be a unit at Maple Leaf Square Condos, the two-tower complex barely a slapshot from the ACC. Not only could Babcock walk to work at the ACC, he would pass through Maple Leaf Square – AKA Jurassic Park – where thousands of Leafs and Raptors fans gather to watch key games. This is also where, the joke is, they will build a statue of him if he one day coaches the Leafs to the Stanley Cup.

Photo: www.tcteam.ca