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SCOTIABANK NHL CENTENNIAL CLASSIC: MAPLE LEAFS VS RED WINGS

January 1, 2017

Mike Babcock

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto - 5, Detroit - 4, OT

Q. Coach, at the risk of being repetitive, does anything Auston Matthews surprise you at this point?
MIKE BABCOCK: Well, he's a good player. He played head to head with Z. Z had three points, Mantha had three points, so they were good, too, so let's not get carried away there. I thought Auston and his linemates were also on the ice at the end when they put that board up on the blue line. We couldn't quite get it across. So there's lots of things to learn. What was great about tonight's game for us is that I thought we started good. They stalled us and did a good job for a bit, and our guys, I thought, were a little tense, a little frustrated, and I thought we really came out and played in the third.

At playoff time in the National Hockey League you're eight up one or down one. It's the same every night. You've got to love the duress. You've got to love the grind. You've got to love digging in and knowing you're going to get it done, so that was a good opportunity for our team because we haven't had those kind of opportunities, so I thought that was good. I thought we played real well, and then once again, it's 4-1, just get it out of your zone. It was so easy, we just -- like you've seen us do it, they just -- but we got a lesson here tonight and still won the game for our fans.

You know, and let's be honest, the NHL likes it that it was 5-4 way better than it would have been 1-0, so it's exciting.

Q. Do you see some common elements in the blown leads and not being able to finish out the games the way you want sometimes?
MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I'd say today is way different than every other game. It's more of a -- we've been building this up for three days, so we've got a bunch of kids on our team. The other thing, if you're Naz and you're Leo and you're sitting on the bench and the coach is playing those other guys instead of you, at that time you're saying what's he doing, because I'm giving them the opportunity. They got two goals in the third. I'm giving them a chance to shut out the game. But they're right, too, why don't I just put the veteran guys out, because they've got to learn. We had an opportunity here in a big game and we gave them that opportunity.

You know, today's game is way different than any other game, so I don't know if I can go there.

Q. This might be better asked without your adventures in the last five minutes of the third period, but I'll ask it anyway. Considering the winning streak, could you consider your program accelerated a little bit in that you can set your sights a little higher now over the last half of the season than you have earlier?
MIKE BABCOCK: No, what we're going to do is just do what we always do. Today was the first game of the segment we got two points. We're three points behind where we need to be, and so we've got to find a way to get more than six points in every five-game segment. We're just going to try to get better every day, and what happens is your team gets better and better, the competitive people get better and better and the non-competitive people got to find someplace else to play. That's just what happens in the good programs. We're finding players every day as we watch them grow, and we have aspirations to be a really good team in the National Hockey League, one that in the summer you know you're going to make the Playoffs. That's not where we're at right now, but we're a work in progress. We like the direction we're going.

But every one of these games we win, we just -- it's not like we go in there and beat anybody badly or we're better than anybody else, we're just hanging in there.

Q. When you've been in this winning streak but you've squandered some leads, do you see more of the squandering leads or just the resiliency of the team being able after they've squandered a lead to come back and win?
MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I loved tonight, the way it happened tonight. I really liked it because it's so easy to feel so bad for yourself and be disappointed. Forget all that, just play the next shift. And I thought we did that. We had great chances. He made unbelievable saves in overtime, unbelievable saves in overtime, so I thought that was good.

You know what, I really liked our game in Tampa. I didn't like our game in Florida as much, but I really liked our game in Tampa. They're all different. I just know that we're winning and we're finding ways to win and we're getting way better. So tonight I thought it was a great thing for our organization, for our kids and for our city.

Q. In terms of the spectacle of today, the outdoor game, Toronto and all that, you've been in a few now. How does it rate for you and was it fun or a distraction for the players, that sort of thing?
MIKE BABCOCK: Well, I thought it was awesome. I mean, any time you get a chance -- I hear all the time, oh, there's too many outdoor games. Well, ask the players, they want to be in them. They love them. I've been in three. They're one of the greatest gifts you can give your family. I hear there was a heck of a party last night they threw here in town. Bryan Adams, my girls, my wife never got home until 3:00 in the morning. I was tucked away in a hotel room, they had a heck of a time, so people in this town must have loved this whole event. I loved the family skate. I loved the practice outside. The whole event for our team was spectacular and now we have our dads trip. So, to me, it's a great family time for the Leafs and probably one of the highlights -- not probably, maybe the highlight besides winning the game was yesterday when the alumni -- I think it was yesterday, in our room, some of them there for a meeting before we practiced. We practiced, we came off, the guys were with them. To see those guys and how much they loved Toronto and being a Leaf and all that was great for our kids. I thought we did a nice job that way with the alumni, and they helped us get better by being around us, and I thought that was important.

Q. Morgan was saying after that this was as close a group that he's been a part of. Do you think that contributes to their confidence here down the stretch?
MIKE BABCOCK: Part of it's because they're all such little kids. On the way out to the ice tonight, I don't know if you saw those little guys playing in the Tim Horton game. Some of them thought they were supposed to be in that. It's a young group.

I mean, they're going to grow up here together. I think the other thing you'd say if you're a guy like Ry, you arrive here and everybody is leaving all the time. These guys aren't leaving, they're staying, and they're going to stay for a long time and be a real good team. Now, it's going to take us some time to get there. It's going to take us time. Obviously we're not deep enough and not good enough, but we're going to get there.

Q. With so much that you have to focus on, did you get a chance to watch the ceremony before the game? Maybe just give us your take on these legends being introduced today?
MIKE BABCOCK: I did a little reading in advance. It's spectacular, 100 years. But Red Kelly is there today, four Cups as a D man, four Cups as a centerman and two different organizations. I think he was a member of parliament, too. Stuff like that is spectacular, absolutely spectacular. So you go through the whole thing. The other night we were playing in Florida and Bobby Orr was there and the star Leaf guys around this weekend, to talk to them. We always talk about the history of the game. I think it's special when you're in a game and it has the great history that ours does that you embrace it a little bit, and obviously having these guys around is special.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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