Maple Leafs give former Sharks coach Wilson 'dream' job

he 53-year-old Wilson appeared at a Tuesday news conference at Toronto's Air Canada Centre after signing a four-year deal.

Wilson was fired May 12 by San Jose after the Sharks lost to the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs. He succeeds Paul Maurice, who was fired by Toronto last month after missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

"I'm the happiest person in the National Hockey League today," Wilson said. "I'm fulfilling a dream."

"Obviously if you lose your job in the league you often wonder if you'll get another opportunity," he said. "The furthest thing from my mind at any point in my hockey career was that I would have an opportunity -- ever -- to coach a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs with their incredible history."

Wilson also has coached the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals. He spent parts of three seasons as a player with the Leafs in the 1970s. His NHL coaching record is 518-446-127.

"I think he's everything we need here in Toronto," interim GM Cliff Fletcher said. "He's one of the top coaches in the league."

He was also the only candidate Fletcher interviewed for the job.

The Maple Leafs finished 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-35-11 record last season, missing a playoff spot by 11 points.

Wilson is the 20th different coach the Leafs have had, including interim ones, since they last won the Stanley Cup in 1967.

"I view the Leafs as a team in transition," he said. "It's going to require a lot of work and a lot of attention to detail.

"As a coach, you just want to put yourself in a position to knock on the door," Wilson said. "And if we can be knocking on the door in two years, I think that will be a tremendous accomplishment. Then we've just got to knock the door down."

Red Wings, Babcock agree to three-year contract

Babcock and the Stanley Cup-winning team agreed to a three-year contract, a person in the NHL told the Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the team planned an 11 a.m. Wednesday news conference to announce the deal. The Red Wings announced plans for a news conference, but didn't release details.

Both Babcock and the Red Wings expected to reach an agreement shortly after the season ended last week with Detroit's win at Pittsburgh, where the team hoisted the Stanley Cup.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said during the Finals. "We just have a couple details to fix."

General manager Ken Holland agreed.

"As soon as the season is over, we'll get it done," Holland has said. "I think it'll only take a meeting or two to put the finishing touches on it."

Babcock led Detroit to a title in his third season in charge after helping the franchise earn the most points in the regular season for the second time in three years. The team tied for the most points in the league during Babcock's second season, then lost in the Western Conference finals.

Babcock is a finalist for the Adams Award, which goes to the coach recognized as the best in the NHL each season.

He was hired from Anaheim to replace Dave Lewis, who was not offered a new contract when the NHL resumed play three years ago following the lockout.

"It's been really good deal for me, and I hope it's been good for them," Babcock said earlier this month. "We've won a lot of games. Obviously, we need to win another.

"We live in a great spot and my family is really happy here. We're around great people at home and here at the rink, where we work for a great people and a great owner."

The third season of Babcock's deal will coincide with his oldest child's senior year in high school.