wingfan40 1 Report post Posted February 23, 2009 Wings' Babcock next to be fired? Posted: February 23, 2009, 4:00 PM by Joe O'Connor Hockey, NHL Mike Babcock: Beware. Sure, you are the head coach of the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, and your team is a threat to repeat. But you are also going to Stockholm, Sweden in October to kick-off the 2009-10 NHL schedule with a pair of games against the St. Louis Blues. Sweden may sound nice. But don’t be fooled: Craig Hartsburg, formerly of the Ottawa Senators, and Michel Therrien, formerly of the Pittsburgh Penguins, thought it sounded nice, too, when their respective squads opened the current season in Stockholm. Both coaches were fired. The Stockholm Flu isn’t the only deadly virus targeting NHL bench bosses. Barry Melrose (Tampa Bay) and Tom Renney (New York Rangers) — who was handed his pink slip by the Rangers on Monday — started their seasons in Prague, Czech Republic. They have since been fired. Europe, it seems, kills NHL coaches. It would appear the Toronto Maple Leafs do, too. Renney was let go after the Rangers lost 3-2 to the Leafs in overtime on Sunday. Therrien was dismissed a day after the Leafs defeated the Penguins, 6-2, on Feb. 14. Hartsburg, meanwhile, had a 1-2 mark against Toronto when Ottawa tossed him overboard. Only Melrose, the shortest tenured member of the ill-fated bunch, who survived for just 16 games with Tampa, managed to get the better of the Leafs with a 3-2 win at the ACC on Oct. 28. ________ Is this guy serious? This is ridiculous. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted February 23, 2009 Babcock wont be fired, but I hate that the Wings have to play in Sweden. I would've avoided it if I was Holland, it killed New York, Anaheim and finished Ottawa off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
puckbags 863 Report post Posted February 23, 2009 Big difference...We are better than those other s***ty teams mentioned !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest NumbaSixty-Six Report post Posted February 23, 2009 Big difference...We are better than those other s***ty teams mentioned !! I didn't know you were on the roster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted February 23, 2009 I didn't know you were on the roster. Ok Mr. Politically correct. Shoot on over to the Pens board and see how many "we need to fire Therrian" and "we need Sid to step up" and "we need to trade Jordan Stall/Whitney" threads there are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hallelujahlogic 1 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 yeah right. babsy's an awesome coach, we're a winning team, and everything's going to be a-ok. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miller76 463 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 I have never been fond of the league starting the season off over seas, but I don't think it has any ramifications of how the season will go for that club. I believe they gave all four of those teams that went over there the beginning of this season a good week off to reaclimate themselves to the time change and so on. I think it will be cool though for the Swedes on the team to play in front of their home country and extended family that still lives there. Out of all the coaches, I think Babs has the least to worry about, when it comes down to keeping his job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingfan40 1 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 yeah right. babsy's an awesome coach, we're a winning team, and everything's going to be a-ok. I agree. And also mentioned was the fact that we have a great team. We have made it to the playoffs for close to 2 decades now. I can't see opening our season over seas having a big enough impact on the Wings to bring about the firing of Babs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shoreline Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Quick, we all need to get on the phone with Kenny Holland and Mike Illitch to stop this game before it's too late for Babs! If that doesn't work, we could always hold up a Little Caesars. Do it for Babs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lets go pavel 2 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Is this guy serious? This is ridiculous. No, dude, he isn't. The writer is well aware that none of these guys' firings had anything to do with playing overseas, he's just having some fun. You're taking this WAAAAAAAY too seriously. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ComradeWasabi 109 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 You guys thought that was serious? That was completely tongue-in-cheek. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shoreline Report post Posted February 24, 2009 No, dude, he isn't. The writer is well aware that none of these guys' firings had anything to do with playing overseas, he's just having some fun. You're taking this WAAAAAAAY too seriously. Indeed. I think I've found out the secret to breaking people's sarcasm detectors -- write an article. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mors 201 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 "Curse" or not, Babcock ain't going anywhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedisappearer 291 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 We have totally got to call this the Stockholm Syndrome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Electrophile 3,554 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Scotty can get his old job back, then. Complete with duck whistle. Seriously people, Babs is going nowhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluedevils_13 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 I thought this was going to be another Andy Strickland article before I opened the thread. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edicius 3,269 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Babcock wont be fired, but I hate that the Wings have to play in Sweden. I would've avoided it if I was Holland, it killed New York, Anaheim and finished Ottawa off. Technically, though, it didn't. New York won 10 of their first 13 games this season, two of them overseas as I recall. It was only after those first 13 games that they became a .500 team, something like 21-21-6. So they can't really blame it on Europe when they came out like gangbusters following the trip. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingslionstigers 12 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Or maybe its the fact that them teams lost alot of good players and their rosters are virtually s***? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SDavis35 140 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Yes, the best active coach in the league will be fired? If this were serious, or even remotely possible, everything we love about the Wings will have died. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wingsallwin 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 What is the purpose of this article's writer? Fishing the Wings fans? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esteef 2,679 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Babcock will be fired when Lilja proves to us he's a woman. esteef Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown Red Wings 245 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Babcock will be fired when Lilja proves to us he's a woman. esteef Well that is impossible then. Since Andreas Lilja is THE MAN. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Echolalia 2,961 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 haha good observation. I totally didn't notice that all Euro-going coaches are now fired. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z and D for the C 712 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 His logic is infallible. I'm worried now. :x Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icesurfer 75 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 Babcock will be fired when the Wings finish in last place...... in other words..... NEVER! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
