Babcock: This is the best team I've coached

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...ed_wings_t.html

After win No. 50 Saturday night in Columbus, coach Mike Babcock was asked if this is his best team.

"Not even close,'' he said, without hesitation. "Doesn't have as many points as the team we had a couple years ago, but it's the best team I ever coached. More depth, faster, harder, the will to win.''

That translates into the best chance he'll have to win a Stanley Cup.

"In the six years I've been in the league this is by far my best opportunity that I've ever had,'' Babcock said.

I agree.

Edit: Can one of the mods fix the title. I sorta messed up on it. lol

Edited March 24, 2008 by HockeyCrazy3033

[up2here 41]

While its good to hear Babs say this,it still falls under the "Have to say it" category.

[HockeyCrazy3033 168]

While its good to hear Babs say this,it still falls under the "Have to say it" category.

Well, yeah.. it doesn't mean much till they win it all, but it's still great for him to feel that way and have that much confidence in his team.

[#19=Legend 29]

While its good to hear Babs say this,it still falls under the "Have to say it" category.

He wouldnt have said it like that if he didnt mean it.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Only time will tell. The way the 2006 Wings finished the regular season, it was hard to conceive that anyone could beat them, but looked what happened. Now we know that hindsight is 20/20, but at this point in the season, I would say the 2006 team was better than this year's team. Lets hope the playoffs paint a different picture than they did back then.

[up2here 41]

He wouldnt have said it like that if he didnt mean it.

Yea coaches never lie

[DreamsofHope 2]

Yea coaches never lie

In response, I feel that 'coaches never lie' isn't what is being said. Babcock is a very honest man and speaks his mind. I trust him on this one. Sure it doesn't mean we will win it, but his confidence in the team says a lot. I feel like this team apart from the 2006 team is better built for the playoffs and Babs knows it. That is why he says, even though we will finish with less points, we are still the better team. We have drive, passion, and a solid mix of young and old. This team is built well. Will we do it? Who knows. Are we the most capable of doing it, as far as teams that Bab's has coached. Yes.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Yea coaches never lie

No kidding. As if he was going to say, "Well that 2006 team was pretty damn good. I don't think we're as good as that team was."

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

No kidding. As if he was going to say, "Well that 2006 team was pretty damn good. I don't think we're as good as that team was."

If Bab's really wanted to fire them up, he'd tell the media that the team isn't as good as his Stanley Cup runner-up team in Anaheim.

[Heaton 1]

If this is just something coaches have to say, why wouldn't he just say it every year?

[up2here 41]

If this is just something coaches have to say, why wouldn't he just say it every year?

Maybe he has,but seriously though,we have to consider the source here. Is it possible hes telling the truth? Yes,but its far more likely hes just giving his team some confidence going forward.

[Opie 308]

I know the write up is about the game in Columbus but they make many references to the season and I like reading bab's quotes:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_ylt=Amn...229&prov=ap

He manages to pay homage to a man that is helping him a lot in Scotty Bowman and pay a little respect to Holland with the Salary cap comment here:

“That’s impressive. You go through all the years of hockey, Scotty Bowman did it with Montreal in the ’70s,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said, “but this is the cap world now. It’s going to be hard to do.”

A little shot at the TV coverage (imo)

“We can’t even get on NBC or TSN anymore (so) we must not be very good,” he said, joking.

Asked if the Red Wings, with more wins and points (106) than anyone else in the league, should be the prohibitive favorite to win the Stanley Cup, Babcock bristled.

Here he manages to keep from putting bulletin board material up and not put down his team!

I don’t buy that for a second,” he said. “Everyone is talking about San Jose and Anaheim, etc. I don’t think anybody is talking about us at all.”

Yet he also lets his team hear that no one is talking about us, a little motivation for his guys.

And then he lets his team know how he feels about them:

Babcock said this was easily the best team he’s ever coached.

“Not even close,” he said. “We don’t have as many points as the team a couple of years ago, but we’ve got more depth, we’re faster, we play harder and we have the will to win.”

This bit is from Dats but I love the personality he seems to be showing a lot of this year:

He mimicked an announcer while describing his shot: “‘He shoots! He scores!’ I got to a 1-on-1 with the goalie and I had a good chance.”

Then Z just lets us know he likes playing with D:

Later, Zetterberg carried the puck into the attacking zone and passed to Datsyuk in the right corner. Zetterberg continued skating and Datsyuk found him with a tape-to-tape pass for a quick jam shot.

“He had a lot of energy out there,” Zetterberg said of Datsyuk after scoring his career-best 40th goal. “He creates a lot of offense for us. He’s a lot of fun to have on your line.”

I know it is all "Coach Speak" and player speak, but it sounds like as a collective whole the group is on the same page!!

Edited March 24, 2008 by Opie

[RedFX 48]

If he really wanted to fire up his team, he should have said something like, "Oh the 03 Anaheim team would kick this team's ass anyday."

[Opie 308]

If he really wanted to fire up his team, he should have said something like, "Oh the 03 Anaheim team would kick this team's ass anyday."

Yeah but I also think he knows how the fan base would react to that kind of comment!!!!

[cirov19 1]

Yeah but I also think he knows how the fan base would react to that kind of comment!!!!

Yeah maybe his fan base would be a little hurt, but still take a look at us.

Most of us love Babs and when we look OP comment he made guess what we look at. Not what he said but what he possibly could have meant and why he wouldn't have said it.

I'm sure if he started comparing our team to Anaheim as much as most of us would disapprove of it we wouldn't take it literally at all.

[Guest Crymson]

Only time will tell. The way the 2006 Wings finished the regular season, it was hard to conceive that anyone could beat them, but looked what happened. Now we know that hindsight is 20/20, but at this point in the season, I would say the 2006 team was better than this year's team. Lets hope the playoffs paint a different picture than they did back then.

Heaven forbid that you have one grain of hope. Best refute anything positive!

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Heaven forbid that you have one grain of hope. Best refute anything positive!

Good one!

[Opie 308]

Good one!

Good one or bad one the sad part is it is a TRUE one!

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Good one or bad one the sad part is it is a TRUE one!

I love you too, Opie.

You're the only man on the planet that can write half a page of info on how Sammy is a decent player. Keep up the good work.

[Opie 308]

I love you too, Opie.

You're the only man on the planet that can write half a page of info on how Sammy is a decent player. Keep up the good work.

I can defend that the man can pass, skate and shoot, your right and the next time the wings hoist the cup, I can say I never bailed on my team, well at least without lying!

And you know what Sammy is 100 times the player you or any of the rest of us on here will probably ever be.

But you are right I shouldn't defend him, spoiled red wings fans like yourself don't appreciate what you are seeing and I should stop pointing this out to, that way you can miss what you are watching and be blinded by the trees.

You people ***** about a player on a team that just one 50 games for the third ******* season in a row. You are right he must be horrible he is keeping this team from winning 60!

Edit: BTW How many times have the wings won 50 games without Sammy! (obviously I don't believe it happened because of him but it is a feasible argument!)

But you know what, you root for the people/player(s) you want I will keep rooting for the red wings including Ken Holland!

Edited March 24, 2008 by Opie

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

I can defend that the man can pass, skate and shoot, your right and the next time the wings hoist the cup, I can say I never bailed on my team, well at least without lying!

And you know what Sammy is 100 times the player you or any of the rest of us on here will probably ever be.

But you are right I shouldn't defend him, spoiled red wings fans like yourself don't appreciate what you are seeing and I should stop pointing this out to, that way you can miss what you are watching and be blinded by the trees.

You people ***** about a player on a team that just one 50 games for the third ******* season in a row. You are right he must be horrible he is keeping this team from winning 60!

Edit: BTW How many times have the wings won 50 games without Sammy! (obviously I don't believe it happened because of him but it is a feasible argument!)

But you know what, you root for the people/player(s) you want I will keep rooting for the red wings including Ken Holland!

See that's exactly the response I was looking for. Every time you post something good about him, you sound even more ridiculous. I love to read it, though.

So now we don't appreciate what we're seeing with Sammy?

I'll have to think about that one.

[thedisappearer 291]

Every time you post something good about him, you sound even more ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure that was his whole intent. Sammy is a decent player. He gets PP time on the best team in the league (I know, I know... points-wise, you would never concede we are better than anyone but Atlanta). He may not be what you want him to be, but as a player on the Red WIngs, he must be "decent".

[Opie 308]

See that's exactly the response I was looking for. Every time you post something good about him, you sound even more ridiculous. I love to read it, though.

So now we don't appreciate what we're seeing with Sammy?

I'll have to think about that one.

And I love the way you dispute everything I say with facts... oh wait never mind that is right, you try to make me seem outlandish by saying everything I say is ridiculous yet you never offer up anything other than your opinion.

You know what I had you on ignore after the Trade deadline thread, then I saw someone quote you and it seemed logical and sane. Then I un-ignored you and you have proven that I was foolish to un-ignore you. Don't bother replying, I have ignored you again so I can't read it!

Edited March 25, 2008 by Opie

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

And I love the way you dispute everything I say with facts... oh wait never mind that is right, you try to make me seem outlandish by saying everything I say is ridiculous yet you never offer up anything other than your opinion.

You know what I had you on ignore after the Trade deadline thread, then I saw someone quote you and it seemed logical and sane. Then I un-ignored you and you have proven that I was foolish to un-ignore you. Don't bother replying, I have ignored you again so I can't read it!

Have a nice life, Opie.

[ben_usmc 253]

Sammy is a decent player, he is at the very least worth his paycheck