An opportunity to move some personnel around, change some things up to see want might work heading into Detroit?
Babcock: I don’t know. What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to get everyone playing the right way and to their capabilities. Obviously, I saw tonnes of good things in Buffalo, but in the second period, when you have long change and you turn the puck over, you’re not going to win many games. We’ve got to get better habits and we’ve just got to keep working at it and getting better. I need guys to be better. I think we’re capable of being a lot better. We’ve just got to keep taking a step.
When you say playing the right way…
Babcock: You can’t play if you’re going to turn pucks over. If every time down the rink you’re going to make a play when there’s no play; sometimes the right play is just to make the D turn around. To me, when you get in the offensive zone and you just flip it somewhere so they have it, so you don’t play on offense and you’re light on it… we’re one and done too much. You’ve got to spend some time in the O-zone rolling around. It’s a hard, heavy game in the NHL. If you play right, you have a chance to have success. If your shifts are ten miles long, you’re not going to have any success because the other team is fresh and you’re worn out. You’ve got to play 40 seconds or less, and you’ve got to play hard. If you’re out there gliding, you can spend all day out there.
In your experience, with veterans, does it take them a while to get going in a camp?
Babcock: For sure, but, normally, when you’ve been nine or 10 years in one spot, you know who those veterans are. You aren’t worried about them. When you come to a new place, you don’t know who they are. You’re worried about them. So they’ve got to get going. So, that’s up to them and up to me. We’re all in this together. I got to help them.
How do you do that?
Babock: I think that’s what I’m doing.
Is it a system thing, or?
Babcock: I don’t think there’s one guy here not trying. I think they’ve tried it. But under the pressure, under the gun, you always go back to who you are. Who you are has got to be winning habits. It’s got to be over, over and over again. I spend half my time explaining the drill instead of teaching. Once they get where to go, then we can teach them more. Just keep on plugging. That’s what we’re supposed to do. The way I look at it is – I think we’ve done tonnes of good thing so far. Last game, in the second period, to me we gave the game away. And then it affected us mentally. I don’t know why we let that happen, either. Just keep playing. It’s about the next shift, the next play.
Is there something that Hunwick is doing that maybe some of the other veterans, or even the younger guys, can learn from?
Babcock: I thought he was pretty good last game. He does it right. We can [learn by watching]. That’s why we’re here. We can [learn by watching].
I know you’ve been busy, but have you taken any notice of what the Blue Jays have been doing?
Babcock: Yeah. It’s exciting. I was in Detroit a number of years where we had great runs in the playoffs. What it does is keep the heat off the Red Wings until we got playing good. I’m hoping the same here. I want them to have a long run so we can get playing good before people start watching us.
Are you guys getting closer on roster decisions?
Babcock: Sure, we’ve talked about it lots. But I like these kids. So, I don’t know. Are we going to have them here, or are they going to play for the Marlies? I don’t know.
Ken Holland says you guys will be friends for life but he wants to kick your ass. Do you reciprocate that?
Babcock: 100%. He might have the upper hand for a short period here, but we’ll see over time. I guess the way I look at it – Kenny Holland is a great, great man. I’m real lucky. I worked for Bryan Murray first, and he’s a good friend of mine, and Ken Holland is a good friend of mine. I’m happy that Lou is here and I get to work with Lou. I learned a lot from Ken Holland. I learned a lot from Jeff Blashill, and I’m sure a lot of other guys. But I’m the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and I’m proud of that. We’ve got lots of work to do as you can see, and we’re going to do it.
