Mike Babcock on Michigan Hockey bench after next season?
Babcock today said he would either remain the coach of the Red Wings after next season, or instead go to Michigan to be Berenson's assistant.
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HeleneStJames Mike Babcock says not worried about negotiating for extension, will either remain coach of Red Wings or be assistant at U of M/ Berenson 4/29/14, 11:44 AM |
Please don't tell me we're using A2 as an abbrviation for Michigan or UofM now...hell, the high schools have Ann Arbor in their name and the University doesn't.
Was he holding up a big "/s" sign when he said that. I could see Babs trying to get a rise out of the twitterverse. But then again, crazier things have happened...
Judge for yourself whether he was joking or not. See this video for the press conference from which that tweet came. He's asked about getting a new deal around 4:58. Note that he talks about being Berenson's assistant for a year.
Thanks for the link. He doesn't seem to be joking but it also just seems like an offhand remark to indicate that he is not going anywhere (even if they fired him which they obviously will not) in the next year. He obviously talks hockey with Red sometimes and it just seems like he was stressing he will be around MI at least until his daughter graduates even if he has to take a job other than as a NHL head coach. I don't think we can really take too much from that.
Seems more to me that it's a statement affirming that he's going to stay in the Detroit area and a Michigan job used as a semi-light hearted fall back to emphasize how serious he is about staying in the area.
I would say it's like 99% he stays with the Wings and 1% he becomes an assistant at Michigan
I loved "year 12". So Canadian haha
Yes thanks for the link. The way I read between the lines is it would be like a 1 year sabbatical for him so he could be involved in hockey while he plans his next move. When I read the headline I inferred it meant he would be the head coach at U of M but that was me coloring the headline with my own thoughts. Your actual headline simply states he could be on the bench in a year's time to be an assistant for 1 year while he takes some time off from the NHL if the Wings decided to move on. In that context I could see it. That is different than becoming the HC at Michigan which I think is what most of us probably jumped to, considering Red's age.
As for recruiting ? LOL
Hi, I'm Mike - the head coach for Canada's Olympic team twice in a row and former head coach of the Red Wings. Also did I mention the Stanley Cup?
UM hockey, it sounded like it he was saying that his daughter had 1 year left of high school, and therefore, he didn't want to move away from the Detroit area. So a possible solution was to be an assistant for Red for 1 year while his daughter finished H.S.
Hopefully, I'm wrong and the whole thing is just an out in case UM doesn't take him...
but it's come up so many different times from so many different sources over several years that there's almost certainly some legs to it. Rumors like "Jon Gruden bought a house in Ann Arbor!" show up fast and die off within a week.
The Babcock to coach Michigan rumor has been A Thing for at least 2 years. He's clearly considering the possibility of doing so
Obviously Brandon scheduled the whole Winter Classic thing just as a cover so he could talk to Babcock and gauge interest...
/s - did you really have to look?
I guess I wouldn't be upset if Babcock left the Wings for Michigan, but at the same time I wouldn't really like it. I love it when Michigan hockey does well, but I'd be lying if I said I care about them even a fraction of the amount I care about the Wings.
August 10th, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
Would be an excellent hire for Michigan and a bad loss for the Red Wings. Truth be told, as a huge fan of the Red Wings, I'd rather see him stay there than take a chance at the college game. Despite his impeccable pro credentials, all bets are off when you go from pro to college or vice versa. Plus, no matter how much I try, I just can't bring myself to care about college hockey. It brings me more joy to see the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup than to see Michigan win a NC in hockey. I can't believe that I'm saying that, but it's true.
The Wings haven't gotten to a conference final since 2008. Another early exit and they could move on to Jeff Blashill.
Maybe Mike Babcock moves on to something new after coaching in the NHL for 12 years.
Or Babcock could win a championship and get a new deal.
More than anything, it's about timing.
*2009
As long as Holland is the GM, Babcock will remain with the Wings. Only way he's gone is if they clean house and from what I've read Chris Ilitch is close with Holland.
Hockey recruiting is regional. We don't get our pick from the NTDP program.
Right now, we only have 1 player committed on U-18, two on U-17 because the program is stacked with Boston area players all going back to Boston.
types. last fall my one and only OP post concerned predictions about hockey coaches - babcock to michigan, berenson retires, griffins coach to the wings. all you guys (or gals) that were negative on that, perhaps my team sources were correct, eh?
lets go red wings! go blue!