Babcock not surprised by Blackhawks' finish

BiscuitintheBasket

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
May 15, 2010
Posts:
3,802
Liked Posts:
0
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=559053



Babcock not surprised by Blackhawks' finish

Sunday, 04.10.2011 / 5:35 PM / NHL Insider By Dan Rosen - NHL.com Senior Writer



CHICAGO -- Mike Babcock is not the least bit surprised that the Chicago Blackhawks are standing on the cliff right now, hoping that the Minnesota Wild can save their season.



"They left points on the table early, but there's no way to get your guys engaged early," Babcock said following Detroit's 4-3 win at United Center on Sunday that put the Hawks on the brink of elimination. "How do you get a team to play in September and October when the games in your mind as a player, no matter what you say to yourself, don't mean anything compared to what you just played in June? That's the facts."



Babcock knows from experience.



The season after he led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Final (2003), the Ducks failed to qualify for the playoffs. They won only 15 games in the first three months of the season and never could recover. They finished with 76 points, 19 fewer than the 95 they earned the year before.



Babcock did lead the Red Wings back to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009 after they won it all in 2008, but he credited Marian Hossa for getting the Wings through the first two months of the season.



Hossa, who signed a one-year contract with Detroit in the summer of 2008, had 15 points in October that season and 11 more in November, giving him 26 points in the first 23 games that season. The Red Wings were 15-4-4, well on their way to a 112-point season.



"We brought in Marian Hossa and Hoss got us through the first two months," Babcock said. "When we were brutal, he was excited. He just carried us."



The Blackhawks, of course, had Hossa this year but they didn't have anyone carrying them through the first half of the season. They wound up losing 11 games before the All-Star break in which they either had the lead or were tied entering the third period.



That number extended to 14 games when it was all done.



"They lost all their players," Babcock said, referencing the 10 players that played for Chicago in the playoffs but departed after the parade due to salary cap restraints and otherwise. "I think they did a masterful job actually, considering. I think you're going to see a lot of this now because if you play good they take your players."



Babcock is referring to the salary cap, which many believe is the No. 1 reason for the parity that currently exists in the NHL.



Chicago could wind up not making the playoffs despite earning 97 points. Dallas needs to win Game No. 1,230 of the 2010-11 regular season in either regulation or overtime to get into the playoffs.



"How do you get a team to play in September and October when the games in your mind as a player, no matter what you say to yourself, don't mean anything compared to what you just played in June? That's the facts."

-- Mike Babcock on the Chicago Blackhawks' struggles

Last season the Rangers and Flyers came down to a shootout to see which team was the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers won it and wound up reaching Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.



"I think you build a team and you hope your year is going to come before you've got to pay them all," Babcock said. "Once you have to pay them all, you pick the people you marry and you hope like crazy to fill in. But it's hard, I tell you."



The Red Wings seem to be the exception. They've earned 100 points in every season since 1998-99 and are 304-126-62 in the regular season since Babcock took over in 2005.



"We've been doing this for six years now and we've got 304 wins in six years," Babcock said. "I think that's been done in the '70s by Montreal, the '80s by Edmonton and now by us. That's never going to be done again in my opinion. I think it's impossible. The way the cap is, they take too much away."



The Blackhawks know all about that.



"That's a good hockey team, a real good hockey team," Babcock said of the Hawks, "but they only let you in the tournament in the end if you get enough points."
Click to expand...
 

5Minutes4Fighting

New member
Joined:
May 16, 2010
Posts:
317
Liked Posts:
0
Location:
Ukrainian Village, Chicago
Thanks for posting that Biscuit. I consider Babcock to be an elite coach and hockey mind, and always enjoy reading his insight and analysis.



-5Minutes
 

genefoley

New member
Joined:
May 16, 2010
Posts:
564
Liked Posts:
0
Location:
Blue Island, IL
babcock is awesome. for a lot of reasons but this article makes him better



I hope he is on the Hawks bench some day
 

Shoots_he_scores

New member
Joined:
May 16, 2010
Posts:
498
Liked Posts:
0
Location:
University of North Dakota, by way of Oak Lawn
As much as I hate Detroit and everything about them, I have so much respect for the people in their organ-i-zation, and the way they run it. Ken Holland, the Illitch family, Babcock, Nick Lidstrom, all very classy individuals and do just about everything the right way
 

genefoley

New member
Joined:
May 16, 2010
Posts:
564
Liked Posts:
0
Location:
Blue Island, IL
Shoots_he_scores said:
As much as I hate Detroit and everything about them, I have so much respect for the people in their organ-i-zation, and the way they run it. Ken Holland, the Illitch family, Babcock, Nick Lidstrom, all very classy individuals and do just about everything the right way
Click to expand...



I've knocked you forever for saying that but I'm slightly starting to agree with you. I feel Datsyuk is pretty respectabl. Really funny guy too. Cleary too has done nothing to offend me. Detroit still sucks though



I'm not sure wings fans truly appreciate how great ken holland is.
 
TSD

TSD

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
May 14, 2010
Posts:
5,014
Liked Posts:
4
Location:
Plainfield, IL
you said ****....huh huh...huh huh....



and you banned me biscuit I HATE YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY.



Im just fuckin around. if you did/didnt, i don't care, I tried to get banned and succeeded.
 

BiscuitintheBasket

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
May 15, 2010
Posts:
3,802
Liked Posts:
0
The Snatch Destroyer said:
you said ****....huh huh...huh huh....



and you banned me biscuit I HATE YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY.



Im just fuckin around. if you did/didnt, i don't care, I tried to get banned and succeeded.
Click to expand...





Wow, WTF happened after I logged off? I just cleaned that one post and sent you a PM but that was it. Was too busy with the influx of 'Nucks fans. Otherwise I thought your comment was a fair rebuttal.
 
Tater

Tater

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
May 15, 2010
Posts:
13,392
Liked Posts:
5,207
Babcock looks constantly confused and pissed.
 
TSD

TSD

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
May 14, 2010
Posts:
5,014
Liked Posts:
4
Location:
Plainfield, IL
BiscuitintheBasket said:
Wow, WTF happened after I logged off? I just cleaned that one post and sent you a PM but that was it. Was too busy with the influx of 'Nucks fans. Otherwise I thought your comment was a fair rebuttal.
Click to expand...





After i responded with a less profanity laden post. He proceeded to call me an idiot and hoped I got banned so I proceeded to create a page long post trashing McD, and talking about him F'ing small children and squirrels and all sorts of things.
 

BiscuitintheBasket

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
May 15, 2010
Posts:
3,802
Liked Posts:
0
The Snatch Destroyer said:
After i responded with a less profanity laden post. He proceeded to call me an idiot and hoped I got banned so I proceeded to create a page long post trashing McD, and talking about him F'ing small children and squirrels and all sorts of things.
Click to expand...





I saw that....and never saw a post with so many "*"'s. Kudos!
<
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

10,935members
95,748threads
4,539,890posts
230online users

Members online NOW

  • Member
  • Admin
  • Mod
  • Donor
  • HOF
Total: 230 (members: 3, guests: 227)
Top