by
It appears the Mike Babcock dance has finally come to an end, and for his next number, he’ll be locked arm-in-arm with a new partner entirely.
The Wings had offered Babcock a four-year deal in the neighborhood of $12-13 million, which would have made him the NHL’s highest-paid coach.
But evidently, it was not enough to keep him in Detroit.
ESPN is reporting that he’s headed off to Toronto with an eight-year deal worth some $50 million. He’ll head up a team that has toiled in the bottom half of the standings for years.
Babcock has led Canada to gold medals in the last two Winter Olympics (2010, 2014) and will be given a hero’s welcome upon returning to his native land.
While it is not a day for celebration, seeing one of the game’s most respected coaches jump ship, there is an argument to be made that Babcock’s ways had grown a bit stale in the Motor City.
It is now six straight seasons that the Red Wings have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs, a stunning run of mediocrity for a franchise that had made it a habit of capturing the Stanley Cup (or getting mighty close) every couple of years.
Ken Holland is likely to tab Jeff Blashill as the team’s new head coach. Blashill is a Michigan native (Sault Ste. Marie), has been a Wings’ assistant, and for the last three years, has guided the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) to excellent results, including one championship (and they’re among the final four this year).
Babcock will leave Detroit with an impressive regular season record of 458-223-105, though his playoff mark is a less sparkling, but still respectable 67-56.
The Red Wings boast a wealth of young talent with players like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Riley Sheahan, and goalie Petr Mrazek. Perhaps it’s best that this up-and-coming crop of skaters get paired with a similarly unproven but hungry head coach, too. Blashill fits the bill and will benefit from having coached a number of current and soon-to-be future Red Wings during his time guiding the minor league affiliate.
Ultimately, the decision was Babcock’s. The Red Wings made a generous offer and he has chosen to carve out a new path on his hockey journey.
We send him on his way with fond memories from the Stanley Cup victory in 2008, feelings of frustration from the near-miss in ’09, and a mutual understanding that the lack of progress over the last half-decade makes this change necessary for the team’s future growth and hopeful return to championship glory.
