Unlike previous regimes, Mike Babcock does all the talking on behalf of the Maple Leafs coaching staff.

Assistant coaches are not allowed to talk to the media.

That's his policy. A way, one presumes, to keep the messaging to the fans on track.

But Babcock is not coaching in a vacuum. He has assistants.

"When I first arrived in the league, I hired Paul MacLean, nine or 10 time 30-goal-scorer, and Lorne Henning, who'd won four Stanley Cups," said Babcock. "Because I didn't know what I was doing. I felt I needed more experience. Now what I do is I try to hire guys who are idea people, who are going to make you better and change. I believe as a coach you have to reinvent yourself every summer. The people you hire make a big difference."

Here's what he has said about his assistants.

JIM HILLER (Offence): Played 63 NHL games in the 1990s with Los Angeles, Detroit and New York. Coached in the WHL after finishing his playing career in Europe. Joined Babcock with the Red Wings last season, and followed him to Toronto over the summer.

BABCOCK: "I think Jim Hiller is a really, really good offensive mind. He thinks differently than I do. Stands next to me on the bench. He's got ideas coming out the wazoo. We had the second best percentage power play in the league last year in Detroit. Led the league in power play goals. That was the first time since (Nicklas) Lidstrom and (Tomas) Holmstrom had left. We brought in Jim Hiller and he changed a lot of things for us. The way he teaches offensive skill. When we're standing on the bench, he says something and I'm thinking something totally different. He never says what I'm thinking. It's perfect. You might as well have a bunch of ideas. I think the players gravitate toward him, the offensive guys, they want someone to help them score, that's what he's thinking about all the time. I like that."

DJ SMITH (Defence): A career minor leaguer, played 45 games with the Leafs and Avalanche. Joined the Windsor Spitfires as an assistant when his playing days ended in 2005. Won the Memorial Cup last year in Oshawa.

BABCOCK: "DJ's a guy who's successful at the junior level. He's a real good man. He was a minor-league player and an NHL player, but he was a grinder, he had to figure out a way to play. I had him at 1997 at the world junior camp. He hurt himself or he would have been on the team. Followed him for a long time. For me, he's a serial winner, what does that mean? It means everywhere you go you just win. I like those people. I like to hire those people."

STEVE BRIERE (Goaltending): A career minor-league goalie, but he had a knack for developing high-end goaltending prospects through his goalie camp and time with the USHL.

BABCOCK: "I was really impressed. (Nashville Predators goalie coach) Mitch Korn really helped me. I knew how to hire coaches, I didn't know how to hire a goalie coach. Mitch Korn really set me up with the process. I normally don't interview a bunch of guys. The way I do it is I do all the interviewing before I get to you. Then I usually get my family involved, so it's not just talking, it's finding out who you are. With the goaltending coaching, we gathered information first, by talking to Mitch and gathering information. Then we went to some of the best goalie coaches and found out who their stable of the next guys were. Then we got it down to a group of five. This guy, I was impressed with him. He's done a good job. He's a smart guy. He's going to make us better over time. His big thing is he hasn't been in the NHL, so his relationship thing... I remember a number of years ago I hadn't been in the NHL either. Get on with it."

ANDREW BREWER (Video): Worked last year on the Red Wings staff and was on Babcock's staff at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

BABCOCK: "Andrew Brewer is the smartest guy on my staff. He was with me in the 2014 Olympics. I brought him. He's the coaching concierge. He just makes sure we don't look dumb. He makes sure our presentations are good. He's 29, the age of the players, he doesn't mind saying: 'Babs, they don't think like that. You're as old as the Ark, they think like this.'

JACQUES LEMAIRE (Advisor): Hockey Hall of Famer, multiple Stanley Cup winner as a player and a coach.

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BABCOCK: "Jacque's been brought in to help me out. How does he help me? He gives me someone to talk to. He watches the game, he give me feedback. He's not living here every day in the grind. He doesn't get caught up in the day-to-day stuff as much as far as the progression of the team. He's smart, smart, smart. Been around a long time. Has a lot of confidence. He's a good man. I like being around him."

GOT A QUESTION? Email me at askkevinmcgran@gmail.com and I'll answer it in Friday's blog.

