If you stop to think about what Babcock's saying, it doesn't sound that crazy. See the Calgary game. The Flames are generally one of the most physical teams in the League, but the Wings skated circles around them. They capitalized on their chances and the Flames couldn't play their game as effectively. Last night in Philly, the Wings were inept offensively and the Flyers were able to manhandle them at will.
Babcock may be taking a bit of a shot at Holland there with that "two years" comment, but I think he's mostly right as far as "just playing" goes. When the Wings are playing their "A" or even "B" game, they're tough to beat, no matter how physical the opponent tries to be. The problem is, the Wings don't always show up to play and then they end up getting owned like they did last night, especially when they're tired and on the road.
This team takes physical abuse better than any recent Detroit squad. What they need to work on is their stamina, so their back-to-back games aren't so much polar opposites. If they can't get any better at consistency, they'll have enormous troubles in the playoffs, obviously.
No single deadline acquisition is going to make this team Calgary-tough, as some have pointed out elsewhere. They are still going to rely on skill and puck possession and try to make it work in the post-season. If some gritty team is what you want, say goodbye to the current Red Wings roster. It's a pipe dream to think that one or even two "tough" players "willing to grind it out along the boards" will change the team drastically.
I'm personally pretty satisfied with the team and think that with a scoring winger, they have potential to do well when it matters, as long as they can get over this crap of sucking it up the second night of a back-to-back.
