Given the injury crisis he has had to contend with at Detroit this season, he has worked a minor-miracle in keeping the Wings in contention for a playoff berth.
This season, Henrik Zetterberg’s only been able to play 45 games, while Pavel Datsyuk’s managed just 39 with a terrible knee injury, that he played with during the Winter Olympics in Socchi. Babcock has also had to contend with inconsistent goaltending as well as an ever-changing lineup.
It’s a long overdue honor, and not just because Babcock is considered the best coach in the NHL without the trophies to show for it. He’s had seasons that were worthy of the award, only to see it handed to another coach. Leading the Mighty Sucks of Anaheim to a 95-point season in 2002-03, their highest point total in franchise history and their first playoff appearance in four years, but he lost the Jack Adams award to Jacques Lemaire of the Minnesota Wild. A team Anaheim beat in the Western Conference Finals that season.
In Detroit, Babcock lead the Wings to a 124-point season in 2005-06, the
second-highest point total in franchise history, but Buffalo's Lindy Ruff ended up walking off with the Award, despite losing in the Conference Finals. When Detroit landed the Presidents’ Trophy in 2007-08, before clinching the Stanley Cup a few weeks later, Bruce
Boudreau of the Washington Crapitals won the award. That's right Bruce Boudreau!! his Crapitals team lost in the first round of the playoffs that year to the Goons of Philadelphia Cryers. During the 2010-11 season, Detroit finished with 104 points and a
division title, but Pittsburgh's Dan Bylsma’s won the award.
Last season Babcock dragged Detroit into the playoffs, when it looked like their 23-year run was about to end especially as they had entered into the post-Nicklas
Lidstrom, era, only for St Louis' Ken Hitchcock to win it. For the record St Louis lost to the Kings in the opening round of the playoffs, while Detroit shocked the highly fancied Anaheim Sucks and at one stage had the eventual Stanley Cup champion-Blackhawks facing elimination with a 3-1 series lead.
In two of the last three times Babcock could have
justifiably won the award, a coach hired in-season was given the Jack
Adams. In Bylsma’s case, it was because the Penguins thrived
without their top two offensive players (sound familiar?). The coach of the year award has the most
simplistic and transparent standards of any major award in the NHL.
It’s context rather than accomplishment, exposition instead of X’s
and O’s. It’s fitting that the NHL’s broadcast media handles
the duties: They’re trained to see the big picture. Jack Adams winners typically fall into a few
distinct categories, or share a few distinct traits:
* The Guy Who Gets Hired In The Off-Season
And Turns A Crappy Team Into A Really Great Team, Defying
Expectations.
* The Guy Who Gets Hired In-Season And
Turns What We Thought Would Be A Good Team That Started Crappy Into
That Good Team We Thought It Would Be, Thus Reaffirming Our
Analytical Prowess
* The Guy Who Coaches Through Incredible
Adversity To Produce A Playoff Team
*
The Guy Who Dramatically Improves Some Facet Of The Team By Doing
Something Obvious That Voters Can Point To And Say, “SEE, LOOK,
AWESOME COACH, RIGHT?”
The competition for the Jack Adams this season
includes coaches that fit these categories.
Injuries
The Red Wings’ injury situation reached absurd
levels this season, and by that we mean Brendan Smith playing
forward. Babcock used 33 skaters, with just 13 forwards and
defensemen having played over 50 games. (The Avalanche, for
comparison’s sake, have used 27 skaters with 18 having played over
50 games.) I know Cooper deserves huge marks for keeping the
Lightning in the playoffs without Stamkos. But again, timing is
everything: Stamkos is back now while Babcock is still working with a
patchwork lineup. He lost his top three scorers, a top four
defenseman and various other parts during the campaign. To have moved
the puzzle pieces around to create a playoff picture this season is
an accomplishment, and has earned Mike Babcock his notice. But so did
…
HBO
The “24/7 Effect” is a very real thing. Dan
Bylsma was seen as the smartest guy in the room after his season, in
contrast with Bruce Boudreau. John Tortorella came off compassionate
and likeable. And Babcock, standing next to that giant whiteboard in
his office, was professorial and in control, even when the Red Wings
couldn’t buy a victory. HBO
captured Babcock in moments that stood in contrast with the “auto
pilot” assumptions about the Big Red Wings Machine. And if you
think we’re overrating this aspect of Babcock’s candidacy, keep
in mind TV people have the vote.
Sochi
Ask Ryan Miller if the
Olympics can have an effect on postseason awards voting. If
Yzerman was the architect of that Canadian gold medal juggernaut,
then Babcock was the lead foreman. His slow reprogramming of elite
offensive talent into the ’95 Devils was masterful. (Then again, if
voters aren’t willing to give him credit for winning with a
blessing of riches in Detroit …) The fact is that the Olympic break
put the focus on Babcock and only Babcock. And then we returned from
Sochi to see him doing some really heavy lifting …
Timing
The case for Babcock is clear. As it is for
Patrick Roy and Jon Cooper. So why will Mike Babcock win?
Timing is everything. Awards voting will commence
shortly. The Red Wings are pushing for a playoff spot without their
two best players. Babcock’s work in perpetuating Detroit’s
playoff streak, in arguably its most challenge season on his watch,
is getting notoriety. In essence, the expectations for the Red Wings
were readjusted. Many thought they were screwed after Zetterberg and
Datsyuk went down. Instead, they’ve gone 7-4-2 since Sochi, with
Datsyuk playing twice in that stretch. Roy had this award in the bag
earlier in the season. But that was before the Red Wings’ injuries.
Before Sochi. Before the hockey world’s attention began shifting to
Detroit. To put it in Oscar terms: Roy is a prestige film released in
the summer, while Babcock’s a Christmas Day Oscar-bait debut.
Why hasn’t Mike Babcock won the Jack Adams?
Because he never really fit the criteria. He wasn’t hired mid-season. The expectations
were always too high for his teams. The Red Wings were too polished
to really bear the mark of his handiwork, it was always the personnel
and not the coach. Babcock had the nerve to lead a first-place team
rather than one that surged to the bubble. It looked too easy. But
not this year. This was a Red Wings team decimated by injuries. This
was a Red Wings team that needed a late surge to get over the bubble.
And should they make the postseason, this is a Red Wings team that
owes the continuation of its playoff streak to 23 seasons to Mike
Babcock. Topping Roy won’t be easy; but what has been for Babcock
this season?
Patrick
Roy (WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW) transformed a Colorado
Avalanche team many had out of the playoffs into an early season
juggernaut and sure-thing playoff contender. Jon Cooper coached the
Tampa Bay Lightning
into the playoffs without the injured-Steven
Stamkos and the Marty St. Louis trade. Dan Bylsma
coached through massive injuries to his blue line and to Pascal
Dupuis. Craig Berube resurrected the Philadelphia
Cryers. Claude Julien and Ken Hitchcock orchestrate the two of best
defenses in the NHL with the Bruins and the Blues. For the majority of the season, Roy appeared to be
a lock for the Jack Adams, with Cooper occupying the coveted “guy who
coached team through injury hell” slot. But Babcock’s candidacy is a perfect storm of
Jack Adams criteria, and it might be enough to overcome Roy’s
admittedly significant lead. If Mike Babcock does win the Jack Adams award, it will be interesting to see the look on Patrick Roy’s face when he loses to a Red Wing. Once again. You can just hear the Wings fans singing Patrick, Patrick!!
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