ANAHEIM – James Reimer walked past coach Mike Babcock in the hallway at Honda Center.

Reimer and his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates were dressed California cool, most in T-shirts and jeans. They chomped on In-N-Out Burger as they exited the arena and headed into the bright sunshine. Reimer turned to Babcock and said, “the bus is leaving now.”

The coach smiled. “No, it’s not.”

The laid-back attitude is a far cry from a year ago with a group that experienced drama on an almost weekly basis, culminating with the fourth-worst record in the NHL. In its place is a culture, instilled by Babcock and general manager Lou Lamoriello, of trust and communication with players.

And some fun, something that’s not exactly associated with either of them.

When the team wanted to leave Toronto early to take advantage of a few days in California, Lamoriello and Babcock obliged. The players wanted In-N-Out Burger, and the Maple Leafs brass had it waiting for them as they got off the ice. 

“Trust is a big issue for us to keep maintaining that,” forward Nazem Kadri said. “The standards (above us) are high then the next thing you know guys’ standards are the same way and you compete against each other and it becomes second nature and you don’t have to have a constant reminder all the time.”

Just 37 games into Babcock and Lamoriello’s tenures with Toronto, the buy-in factor is both visible in practice, and those games. After starting the year 1-7-2, the Maple Leafs are 15-15-7.  During the offseason the Maple Leafs added Babcock with a eight-year $50 million contract. Later in the summer they brought in Lamoriello as general manager in hopes the two could lift the fortunes of the sagging franchise that needed a more defined structure. 

During a nearly hour-long skate at Honda Center on Monday, players stared attentively at Babcock as he talked to them. They battled each other in a drill in front of the Toronto net. Babcock finished practice by having players compete with one another on a skating drill.

Instead of having players line up for a “bag” skate, Babcock had them go one-on-one against each other. The drill worked as both motivation for the players to impress their coach and have some fun in the process.

“To race the guys, gets a little competitive so guys want to beat each other,” center Tyler Bozak said. “It’s just a little bit harder. It’s fun when you’re racing someone than if you’re just skating around in circles.”

Lamoriello has been mostly behind the scenes, but players have appreciated his hands-on nature with them. Though he’s brought some of his rules from the New Jersey Devils – where he was the general manager for from 1987 until last summer – such as ensuring players have less facial hair, the Maple Leafs like that he listens to what they have to say. 

“The GMs I’ve had around the past you don’t really see too much around the room, and stuff like that,” Kadri said. “Lou is always in and out, he’s always talking to guys and being super friendly and caring about you as a person, not just a number or a hockey player. It’s nice to see that.”

Babcock has been the face of the new Maple Leafs. He was brought in through a highly publicized courtship last spring after 10 years with the Detroit Red Wings. A Stanley Cup champion with Detroit and winner of two Olympic gold medals with Canada, Babcock hasn’t shunned the Toronto fishbowl. He’s embraced his celebrity as team savior without letting it be a distraction. 

On Christmas, a photo was posted online of Babcock wearing Maple Leafs colored socks with his face drawn onto them. The items are called “Babsocks” and have become popular in the Toronto area.

“That was a Christmas party at my house in Michigan. Everyone who came to the Christmas party showed up in Babsocks,” Babcock said. “The reality of the situation is this: I enjoy what I do. I’m very blessed to have the wife and kids I have and the job I have in this business. I like players, I like being around them … living the dream, man.”

Coming to the team, he understood that the Leafs players had dealt with a high amount of criticism over the years. The confidence in the locker room was low and needed work. Even if they weren’t expected to compete for the playoffs this season, Babcock didn’t see the group as being as desolate as some described.

“When you haven’t won and you’re beat down, part of creating a safe environment for players is winning enough so it is safe,” Babcock said. “When you’re always exposed and the environment we’re in, where Leaf Nation is used beyond what anyone who hasn’t been there can believe, you’re under the gun a little bit more. “

Even though his contract could enable Babcock to live comfortably for a lot of years, he still finds motivation every day to win as many games as possible.

“What I’ve found in life is the sun gets up every day and you get to choose that attitude for that day,” Babcock said. “If you choose it right it’s a good day and you get to decide and no one else.”

According to Babcock, building a winning culture involves making sure your best players are your hardest workers. He had that with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Paul Kariya. In Detroit, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg set the tone for the rest of the team. 

With the Leafs, Babcock is still trying to figure out his top players. James van Riemsdyk leads the team with 28 points. Surprising Leo Komarov, a tenacious player, has 15 goals for Toronto.

Phaneuf has warmed to his role this year, playing fewer minutes, but seeing an uptick in production with three goals in 37 games played versus the same amount in 70 last year. 

Kadri said he and Babcock have met a few times to go over the young forward’s progress. Since Dec. 1, Kadri has 11 points in his last 13 games. “He’s just expecting me to be an elite player,” Kadri said. “He holds you to a high standard and you don’t want to disappoint.”

Players said they enjoy Babcock’s system, which Bozak indicated is different than any he’s played in Toronto. 

“It’s close to guys more. You’re on top of guys and everyone is working together and everyone buying in really well and working as a team,” he said. 

Said Kadri, “If you’re a good player in order to try to shut you down you have to have that smothering mentality and not give them so much room. As a skill guy when guys are doing that to you it’s super frustrating and you seem to get off your game a little bit and I think that’s what we’re getting good at.”

According to the Globe and Mail, the Maple Leafs have improved from a puck possession perspective with Babcock:

Under Babcock, the Leafs have improved from one of the worst possession teams in the NHL (45 per cent) to league average (50 per cent), making one of the biggest jumps in the league (along with Buffalo and Montreal).

When the Maple Leafs hired Lamoriello, there were questions on how he and Babcock would get along. Instead of clashing, they’re finding common ground because they both listen to one another, they both respect one another and both want to win. 

“He’s fantastic, he’s a great man. He’s a great man and he does things right. He expects you to do your job, he expects you to be a good pro. That doesn’t matter if you’re the coach or information coordinator or the video coach. You’re all expected to do your job. He treats you real good and in doing so he tries to get as much as he can out of people,” Babcock said. “He likes details, I like detail. He knows the devil’s in the details and winning’s in the details.”

The Maple Leafs are by no means a finished product and they have their problems – most notably how to handle struggling goaltender Jonathan Bernier and Reimer, a pending unrestricted free agent. Lamoriello is 72 years old, and it’s unclear as to whether he’s a long-term solution in Toronto. Youngsters like William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Mitch Marner are still at least one year away from making an impact. 

But for the first time in a while there’s some belief that the coach and general manager will make better overall decisions collectively in the immediate future. That in itself is progress. 

Said Babcock, “Do we want to be the best team in the league? Absolutely? Are we? No. Can we get there? For sure. How long’s it going to take? I don’t know the answer, I just know when you do good things good things happen.”