With the news that Randy Carlyle had been relieved of his duties as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, immediately the Mike Babcock to Toronto speculation was reignited.
The Detroit coach, whose Red Wings doubled the Oilers 4-2 Tuesday in Edmonton, is in the last year of his contract and insists he won’t discuss a new pact until the current season is done.
Despite giving off every indication that he’s happy in Detroit and has no plans to depart, that won’t stop the rumor mill from connecting Babcock to Toronto.
Even those who are part of the team understand that’s just how the system works and there’s nothing they can to stop it from happening, so they choose instead to ignore such talk.
“I think that’ll be out there in the media for sure,… Detroit defenseman Brendan Smith, who grew up in the Toronto area, said of Babcock to the Leafs speculation. “Some of the guys were saying that might keep the Toronto media going for a few months here with all that hype.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens but I know in this room guys don’t really care about it (the rumors). I don’t think Babs looks at it too much right now as we’re just trying to win.…
Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg broke down the talk into simple terms.
“Well, the one thing I make of it is he’s still our coach, still under contract here and I think he made it pretty clear that he’s not discussing any future options before we’re done here,… Zetterberg said.
“I think that’s still the case.…
Regardless of what they believe, everyone in the Red Wings organization understands that they can’t control what happens or is reported beyond the walls of their dressing room.
“It went through my head this morning when they let (Carlyle) go,… Detroit forward Darren Helm admitted. “It’ll be interesting to see what they do as a replacement for the rest of the year, knowing they probably want to go after Babs.…
The Wings also realize that even if Babcock is set on staying put, that won’t stop Toronto from making a pitch if he gets to the point where his Detroit contract has expired.
“If you’re a betting man, you would think maybe Toronto or Shanny (Leafs president Brendan Shanahan) might want to give him a little money to get him there because his style has been effective,… Smith said. “But that’s at the end of the year and we’ll see what happens then.…
Even with Carlyle out of the picture, Zetterberg didn’t believe that Toronto’s interest in Babcock would increase.
“I think if they wanted Mike before today I don’t think anything has changed,… Zetterberg said. “He’s still under contract with us and I think they have to wait until after the season.…
If Babcock is to be believed, that wait could prove to be futile.
“We’re in a situation here in Detroit that I have a good relationship with the general manager (Ken Holland) and we’ve won enough games so you’re able to keep working,… Babcock said.
“I’m real fortunate. We have an unbelievable leadership group here with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and (Niklas) Kronwall and as a coach that’s a real advantage.…
As to the Toronto rumors, Babcock just shrugged.
“We’ve talked about this lots this year,… Babcock said. “I’m real happy with where I’m at.…
Oil Barons Detroit won for the seventh straight time over Edmonton. The Wings are now 9-0-5 in their last 14 games at Edmonton and have not lost in regulation time at Rexall Place since a 3-1 loss there on Oct. 21, 2006.
“We don’t mind coming out here, absolutely,… Kronwall said. “Especially coming together as a team - you spend even more time with each other, dinners, things like that, lunches after practices.
“I think everybody enjoys it.…
Jurco Ailing Detroit right-winger Tomas Jurco left Tuesday's game suffering from back spasms. "He's not available tomorrow (against Calgary)," Babcock confirmed after the game.
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