NHL Playoffs


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Did you see how emotional Babcock was in that post game presser? He's not been that emotional in all of his 10 seasons with Detroit. That is a man who is not coming back. Thank the gods!!!!! Bring on Blashill! Detroit needs a coach who can work with these kids. I am *totally* amped for the next season already. The post-Babcock era is upon us! WOOT!!!!

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This may just be the same as the post Lloyd Carr Era for Michigan football. I am worried. There is a reason Babcock is the Canadian national coach and the winningest post season coach among active coaches. The reason for them not going past the first round or so is not his fault. I think it is Ken Holland's for not spending any of the cap money and lack of the ability to pull in some big free agent fish.

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-Stogie Boy

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BLACKHAWKS

I've played hockey, too, so I get what you're saying. But ultimately it comes down to the fact that these guys get paid a ridiculous amount of money to play a game. Nobody can realistically expect a

Hawks Win! 11 more to go!

Greg,

I know you want Babcock gone, but your talent level just wasn't there this year. He can only coach the roster he is given and you guys went as far as you could with the lineup you had.

Draft well, get some good FA's to come and you should be better.

Now, let's get ready for the Ahole Ovechkin and kick his arse!!

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There's a lot of Babcock love on this thread. But I think a lot of it is hyped by the hockey writers in general... and everyone knows the hockey world largely revolves around Toronto. Babcock has been a professional coach since 2002. Look at the results:

International:

2004 World Championships - Team Canada, Gold medal

2010 Winter Olympics - Team Canada, Gold medal

20104 Winter Olympics - Team Canada, Gold medal

Pretty awesome so far. Looks like Babcock can coach the crap out of an All-Star roster.

Now on the NHL:

2002-2003: with Anaheim, lost Stanley Cup in 7 games to NJ

2003-2004: with Anaheim, failed to make the post season

2004-2005: lock out

2005-2006: with Detroit (to the end), bounced in the 1st round in 6 games to EDM

2006-2007: bounced in 3rd round in 6 games to ANA

2007-2008: won Stanley Cup in 6 games vs. PIT

2008-2009: lost Stanley Cup in 7 games vs. PIT

2009-2010: bounced in 2nd round in 5 games to SJ

2010-2011: bounced in 2nd round in 7 games to SJ

2011-2012: bounced in 1st round in 5 games to NSH

2012-2013: bounced in 2nd round in 7 games to CHI (after being up 3-1, I might add)

2013-2014: bounced in 1st round in 5 games to BOS

2014-2015: bounced in 1st round in 7 games to TB

So I absolutely agree that Babcock can coach Team Canada like it's nobody's business. He may have the highest winning percentage of any active coach in the NHL, but those are largely regular season wins - when it's the post season that matters the most.

In the last 13 years he has 1 Stanley Cup, and he's been to the finals 3 times. That's pretty good... but the last appearance was 7 seasons ago. In the last 6 years Detroit hasn't once made it out of the 2nd round. Hmm...

There were a lot of retirements after that 2008 Cup run. Shanahan retired in 2009, Chelios retired in 2010, Hasek and Rafalski retired in 2011, and Lidstrom and Holmstrom retired in 2012. There were other retirements, I'm sure, but the point being that most of the great things Babcock did were when he had a tenured/veteran team full of future Hall of Famers. (I.e. the same reason he does well with Team Canada.) In the last 6 years, with a much younger/inexperienced team he has been utterly incapable of producing expected results.

Sure, sure... there are some sour grapes here today. I can admit that. And extending the playoff appearance streak is cool... but it's not like it's that hard to make the post season. Hell, over half the league goes. So you'd have to have a pretty crappy team to not even qualify for the post season.

Babcock needs to go find a tenured/veteran team that needs that last push to get them over the top. He is incapable (clearly) of coaching a younger/inexperienced coach. Detroit needs to ditch Babcock and bring on Jeff Blashill from Grand Rapids - he's been with the Griffins since 2012, he knows the system, he knows the GM, he knows the prospects, and he won the Calder Cup in 2013 with half of the current Detroit Red Wings roster.

Let the post-Babcock era begin!

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

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Draft well, get some good FA's to come and you should be better.

Now, let's get ready for the Ahole Ovechkin and kick his arse!!

Detroit always drafts well - that's not been the issue in many years. The FA issue this past off-season was sad... nobody wanted to come to Detroit since they thought Detroit wasn't even going to make the post season this year. (Babcock alone wasn't enough of a reason to get people to sign.) Maybe some FAs will change their mind this time around? They've got some great kids in the hopper and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do. Mrazek, Marchenko, and Ferraro will continue to be awesome, and the likes of Mantha, Pulkkinen, Oullet, and Lashoff will make great regular additions to the Wings roster. And some key FA signings like you said and this team will be great again - because the new coach will be more capable of handling a younger team.

And I will indeed be rooting for the Rangers. I like Chicago, too, but it would be nice to see someone else with the Cup this year. (I like all of the O6 teams... aside from Montreal. I hate those guys... bunch of asshats who happen to have the best goalie in the world at the moment.)

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

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Damn Greg, I agree, love the passion. As a non-wing fan, I have fallen for the Babcock is "da man" narrative. However, you make a great counter argument. Hope you get what you want in the Grand Rapids coach, and not someone like Tortorella :)

Tough break about game 7, thought you guys were the better team.

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LOL. Well... Torts is at least entertaining. Sometimes about as entertaining as a train wreck, but he certainly gives people something to talk about. Haha!

But, naw. Detroit doesn't want Torts. Ever.

LOL

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Yeah... that was crazy. Questionable hit or not, they still should have kept playing until the whistle and *then* went after Backstrom. Game 2 will be interesting. I hope Boyle lines up Backstrom real nice and good like.

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Too early yet but if the Hawks make it to the final I may have to bring out the lucky Big Red Chewing Gum pack remote shoot control. Can only be used sparingly though. If overused its magic works in reverse. Nah, I'm superstitious at all.

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