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Everything posted by kipwinger
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Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
It pains me to defend Mike Babcock. Everybody knows that I think he's an overrated, blowhard, whose folksy Canadian "awww shucks, we need to work harder, and listen to our wives more" crap is just a veneer. That said, he's definitely one of the top coaches in the league. He's just not soooo much better that teams who already have good coaches (or coaching options) are willing to drop everything and throw the bank at him. There are a couple of coaches who are probably better, and a hand full that are as good. Any team without a coach, or with a consistently underwhelming coach should be happy to have him. But any team that already has a quality guy would be dumb to can them for Babs. And for some reason that was what everybody expected. Also, the fact that there are at least 3 or 4 other really good coaches available really diminished the interest in Babs. Why throw 5 million at him when you can get McLellan or Bylsma for cheaper and they're not much (or any) worse than he is. I follow hockey because I love the sport. I'd really love to follow the Stanley Cup playoffs, since those are still going on and all. Unfortunately every single outlet dedicated to covering the sport of hockey, is currently following #Babswatch. So I'm forced to either quit following the sport I love, or follow it and comment on how idiotic this whole decision making process has been. I've chosen the latter. What else am I going to do, watch the NBA? Lol. -
Why is it a stupid move strategically to say that money is your biggest concern but not when you say family and winning are your biggest concerns? If it's a bad idea, it's a bad idea either way. If he wanted to negotiate his contract privately (like the vast majority of folks who sign NHL contracts) he could have done so.
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Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
I was mostly being a smartass. I don't think he, or the Wings, are interested in a 1 year deal. I think he'll go where the money is. And if the money's close in all cases, he'll stay. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Not at all. It's insane. There is literally up to the minute articles, tweets, interviews, etc. with every commentator under the sun, all speculating on where he'll end up. #Babswatch is trending on Twitter as we speak. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Unless he signs a one year deal. Then we get to do it again next year. Yippie. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
It's interesting that all these guys who say it's not about the money end up going to the place that offers them the most money. Hmm... -
What would the money matter. Babs has already said his decision comes down to winning and what his family wants. If he goes to Buffalo, it's clearly because they've got a better chance of winning than Detroit...lol.
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Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
But that's not really saying much at all is it? Which is the whole point. You can never be wrong when you say things like. "Well the analyst in me says the conventional wisdom is that he'll stay"... Because Bob McKenzie is in the business of analyzing conventional wisdom now? "But I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in Buffalo either"... Neither would I. He interviewed there and they offered him the largest amount of money. I like Bob Mckenzie. He's a good analyst and hockey reporter. But this isn't analysis or reporting, this is speculation. And I actually don't even blame him for that either. This Babcock thing has gotten so out of control that he's be a fool not to cover it. It's the top story of the Stanley Cup playoffs for some ******* reason. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Enough to make sure that he can strongly insinuate every possible outcome, and therefore not be wrong about anything ever? -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
This is like an episode of The Bachelor". Everybody is waiting to see if Mike will give Ken Holland the rose. Puke. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Our assistant coaches, and their special teams improvements were a primary factor in making the playoffs this year. We were terrible at even strength. Moving them for a guy with no coaching experience is a terrible idea. No matter how beloved Lidstrom may be. Thats the kind of stuff the Oilers do, not teams who care about winning. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Whoa, lots of exaggerations here. He's had all year long to decide whether he wanted to leave or not. The fact that he said he wouldn't negotiate during the season doesn't mean that he didn't think about it, prepare for it, consider other options, and consider his own priorities. People are acting like he didn't know his contract was up until the season concluded, which is crap. He's had every opportunity to talk over this "major life decision" for at least the last year. And the fact that he didn't want to negotiate was his call too. It's not like he was dying to get this figured out and Ken Holland just wouldn't hear him out, he's been offered several contracts that he turned down. Secondly, I'm not sure where this notion that Babcock didn't have good rosters is coming from. His rosters haven't been as good as Chicago or L.A., sure, but they haven't been bad either. This notion that they were "barely playoff caliber" is overblown. Ottawa and Calgary had a "barely playoff caliber" roster this season. Columbus had a "barely playoff caliber" roster last season. People are acting like he had nothing to work with...which is bull. He didn't have a Cup contender, but he didn't have trash either. The fact that we've barely scraped into the playoffs the last couple of years had more to do with our shootout record (for the last two years), injuries (last season), and a monumental collapse (this season). Some of which, contrary to popular opinion, actually had to do with Babcock's coaching. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Touche. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Here's a fun fact, Babs' last contract extension was in October, 2010. By that time he'd already won an Olympic gold and gone to the finals twice. And all those accomplishments could/should have been used in the negotiations for that contract. What's he done since 2010 that would nearly double his last contract? Win one Olympic gold and two playoff series? -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Ahhhh gotcha. Yeah, I'd agree that financially the investment would pay off pretty quickly. Hell, in Buffalo's case it would be financially successful if he never made the playoffs but increased attendance by 50% for every home game that he ever coached. I guess I was speaking more about the expectations that this kind of hiring brings with it. I agree with your points regarding Minnesota and Toronto though. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
I'd certainly agree that throwing money around can (initally) legitimize a franchise. It's worked pretty well in Minnesota up to this point. But eventually you're going to have to deliver on those expectations. Suter and Parise flat out legitimized Minnesota's organization. Buying those guys instantly made them a credible player in the league's "power structure" (my term). But if that's all the signings ever accomplish, I think you'll have a hard time arguing that it was a success. Toronto is already as high profile as it can possibly get. Everybody already knows they're willing to spend more money than anybody else to get what they want. The only thing keeping Toronto from credibility is the fact that they can't seem to win when it matters. If they give Babs 5+ million, they'll be expecting him to do exactly that. If he doesn't, I don't see how they can consider the deal a good one. -
Flyers hire North Dakota Head Coach Dave Hakstol
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
He's certainly a very successful coach. But given how different the leagues are (NCAA vs. NHL), I'm not sure he'll be as good. Think about Steve Spurrier trying to coach in the NFL. It would have been smart to see if he could translate his success to the AHL first. The NCAA is a tough league, but in a lot of ways that's because there isn't all that much high end skill in it. So every game is decided by banging, crashing, garbage goals, and play around the net. Goalies in the NCAA aren't that great (because they don't need to be), and defenses have it pretty easy. Plus the schedule is much shorter, which effects how you coach. I'm skeptical that he'll be able to make the jump successfully at first. He may come back again and be good (Pete Carroll), but he'll struggle initially. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
They use the same system, but not the same "style", if that means anything. Line combinations, player usage, matchups, and zone emphasis (my term), can all make the product of the system look dramatically different. The fact that the run the same system really only affects where you should be in the ice at a particular time, and what you should be looking to do once you get there. For instance, Mclellan and Babcock run very similar systems. The outcomes don't seem overly similar however (with the exception of the fact that they're both successful). -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
I imagine they'll be seriously regretting the 5+ million dollars they gave him to do exactly that. You don't give somebody that much money to gradually improve your team and (if the stars align) perhaps bring you success. You don't pay forwards 7 million bucks for 50 points seasons either. If you give a guy (roughly) twice what the highest paid coach (Quenneville) is currently making, you're not expecting mediocre results. I spoke about this the other day. If you offer 5 million bucks to Babcock, and he accepts it; you're both implicitly agreeing that he's A) going to give you the best possible chance to win a Cup, and B) that he'll deliver on that. If he doesn't, then the entire process will be exposed for the hype driven debacle that it is. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Worse, imagine if Babs signs for a year, Blashill leaves, and then Babs goes someplace else because that prospect obviously intrigues him? I sure hope it's implied that if he stays, he signs long(ish) term, because Kenny could get caught without a seat on this one. -
Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
**Two Calder Cups in 3 years, with two totally different groups of guys. Edit: If Babcock re-signs with Detroit, and Jim Nill doesn't steal Blashill from us, I'll be completely blown away. -
Columbus' beat writer is reporting that Kerby Rychel is available. Scouting reports say he's a power forward with scoring upside. He's a first round pick (19th overall) and has had pretty solid AHL, Junior, and international experiences. I don't know much about the kid, but seems interesting.
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Babcock granted permission to talk to other teams
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Why's that? -
Flyers hire North Dakota Head Coach Dave Hakstol
kipwinger replied to HockeytownRules19's topic in General
Who could blame him? Have you been to Philly?