Mike Babcock addressed the media the day before the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens, touching on the impact of John Tavares’ addition so far, the loss of Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard on waivers, the distance the team has traveled since he first arrived as head coach, and more.
How much do you think John Tavares is driven by the fact that he has got those battle scars and he has been in the league nine years but hasn’t had playoff success to this point?
Babcock: I think that’s obviously an important part. It’s an important part for our group just because we have so many kids and they’re fortunate to be on a good team so fast. When you have been in the league for a long time… Patty Marleau is another guy — on a really, really good team for a long time, but you haven’t gotten your name on the Cup. That is because you’ve got to line up the moon and the stars to win the thing. Everybody thinks that you just get a few good players and you’ve got a chance. They get all excited. The reality is you’ve got to get prepared and it’s a grind. You’ve got to stay healthy and get some luck.
Nazem Kadri was saying he has always been a hockey junkie even dating back to his junior hockey days. What has stood out to you in that regard?
Babcock: Obviously, just a really committed pro. He takes his craft seriously and takes the game seriously. I think that is a good thing for our guys to be around.
Seven rookies were in your lineup three openers ago. Now, they get a chance to do it again. How far have they come along growing under the lights of Toronto and all that goes with it?
Babcock: I just think that we are fortunate that we have a good young group that is going in the right direction. We have added to that group, obviously. I think we have eight guys that weren’t in the opening day lineup on our roster here starting. There have been lots of changes that way. But we are going in the right direction and I think we are set up pretty good — cap wise, youth wise, talent wise — for a pretty good 5-7 year run. I think that is what you need to have success.
You see what Tavares’ impact on the ice is, but just in the room around some of the young guys, what has that been like?
Babcock: With Tavares, Marleau and Hainsey… Hainsey has won the Cup. Patty has been around a long time and has been a great player for a long time. Tavares is ten years younger. But they all are guys who take their craft very seriously. Obviously, Marleau and Tavares are guys who, I think, the more you get of them, the better chance they have to influence the group. The coach can’t be at the back of the bus or the back of the plane or at team meals. It just doesn’t work like that. You need good help. That is what those guys do.
Does the excitement and anticipation in the city translate to you guys down here and how do you deal with that?
Babcock: We’re thrilled. The reason there is excitement is because we have done something about it. Those are the facts. The team has gotten better, so it’s exciting.
Now, we know we have segment one coming and we’ve got a game against Montreal. You guys are paid to get ahead of yourselves and forecast and do all of that stuff. It doesn’t much matter to me. We’ve just got to get ready for the first five games and be prepared to play. We’ve got to get better every day or you have no chance at the end.
Last year, we had an unbelievable regular season. We still left early. You’ve got to have an unreal regular season to get into the playoffs. The way the NHL is set up now, you play a real good opponent in your first two rounds. You’ve got to be fortunate and you’ve got to be good.
You mentioned the team being in a good spot cap wise for 5-7 years to go for a run. You have a player on a holdout right now. Can it be part of your job to remind players that you can have a good run if the whole team sticks together?
Babcock: If that opportunity came, I sure… I don’t go around. There is a reason why I am not a General Manager and never plan on being or wanting to be one. I don’t have to deal with much of that stuff. In saying that, if someone asks me a question, I give them my thoughts on it.
But it’s the business part of the game. It is what it is. Other people are getting opportunities. We worry about the players that are here.
It is almost impossible to replace a player like William, but does this team have enough skill and depth to help mitigate that for as long as he is away?
Babcock: Yeah, we are going to watch and we’ll see. Obviously, like I said to you, other people are getting opportunities and good opportunities. They’ve worked hard and been good thus far. We just keep going.
There is no sense worrying about guys who aren’t here, available or who are injured or any of that. It does you no good.
Can you elaborate on losing Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard and what you have in Garret Sparks?
Babcock: I think the big thing is we did unbelievable in getting Mac. Great person, great family. Good pro. Does it right every day. Good goaltender. He is a quality man.
Picks is another quality, quality guy. Unbelievable last year for Sparks in helping him become a pro. He’s got good numbers in the NHL. He will do a good job. But he is a great teammate.
We are going to miss those guys. Kaskisuo now in the minors is standing by himself. And yet, that is the way the league is made. It’s made to try to keep everybody exactly the same, right? That’s how it goes. You love to have them all slip through, but they didn’t.
What didn’t work out for Connor Carrick here?
Babcock: For him to play on our team this year, he was going to end up being seven or eight again. We didn’t feel it was right to Cs to be seven or eight. He worked real hard. He won our fitness thing. He is a great human being. All of the people I talked about today… Cs is a great guy. He’s got a great wife. He wants an opportunity to play ahead of where we could give him an opportunity to play, so good for him. He gets that chance.
You coached Shea Weber with Team Canada. He has been named the captain in Montreal. What kind of captain do you believe Shea will be in a market like Montreal?
Babcock: Great captain. He is just a great person. He doesn’t have to say much. He just has to look at you and you tend to get in line. He knows what is right. He does what is right. He is not influenced by the media or by fans or anything like that. He is a great pro. It is unfortunate for them that he’s not healthy.
The process for you getting to where you are now… When you went to Detroit, that was a good team right away. Here, you’ve had to go from the bottom of the league to where you are now. What has that been like for you?
Babcock: The first year wasn’t exactly a ton of fun. When I made the decision to come here, lots of people thought I was absolutely crazy. At times in my first year, I thought I was crazy myself. But since that time, if you look at the points, we have been a good team… a real good team. Now we are getting to be a better team.
It’s great to be all pumped up about life. I just know how hard the league is. We are just going to do what we always do. I try to be concerned about today and getting better today and getting ready for tomorrow. That is what we are going to do as a team this year — stay in the process, keep improving our players. If we do that, we have a chance to be good at the end and be in the playoffs. That’s it.
