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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: PENGUINS v RED WINGSJune 1, 2009Mike BabcockPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day Q. These teams each have a Hart Trophy finalist, and obviously yours has not been able to play. Two parts, the first part, is it right to rescind the automatic suspension on Malkin? And the second part, are we overlooking the fact that you guys have won two games without your Hart Trophy? COACH BABCOCK: You have to decide that part. Obviously we're a much better team to have him playing because he has the puck so much. In my opinion, he's one of the most dominant players in the game. As far as the Malkin thing goes, you know, that's up to the league. Q. Some people are surprised of the contributions of your rookies. But I'm sure you're not. Can you talk about the way you guys sort of develop these guys in the NHL and maybe have them down there longer than other teams? COACH BABCOCK: Well, that's a big part of Kenny Holland's philosophy. He talked a lot about it as a minor league goaltender for his career. He hated the fact when guys would come in and get jobs all the time, it drove him crazy. He said when he'd be a general manager that would never happen. Now we've been fortunate enough to have good enough teams that we don't have to make it happen. But there's a number of parts to it. When you get kids here before they're ready, they make too much money too soon, and they don't do anything for you. The other thing is that the -- we brought Abby here at the start of the year. He wouldn't have scored 23 goals in pro hockey. He might never score again in his life. We do that year after year after year to players. We get them there before they're ready. And the easiest thing for us coaches to do is we teach them to check. As long as you're safe, we like you. Well, some of the best players in the world sometimes, they can create magic and not always be safe, but you just know they're so good, and you just let them do it. To me, that's just growing into the game. I think Kenny and Jim, and obviously Curt Fraser down there, and Jimmy Paek did a fantastic job. But these guys are talented and they work hard, and they compete, and they know how to play within a structure, and they're giving us energy. Q. What did you think when Zetterberg got into a fight first off? And what do you think of him regarding just checking Crosby, scoring? Just doing everything? And seemingly doing it right at the top end of the scale? COACH BABCOCK: Well, this is who we know, so we're not surprised. But Z didn't have a big time year this year during the regular season by any means for his standard. I mean, he was a great player, don't get me wrong. And when we played the odd team, he was great. But for his standard, this is his standard right here. And he's got -- I believe he has a will tank deeper than anybody I've ever been associated with. As much as all the other attributes he has, to me, that's his greatest one. His drive train is fantastic. Q. In last year's final, Michel Therrien was adamant that he was not going to get Sidney off the Zetterberg match-up. Do you expect Bylsma to do something different in this series and try to avoid that match-up in Pittsburgh? And? COACH BABCOCK: Well, Mike did a good job in Pittsburgh to get him away a number of times. He made it hard for us for sure. They're going to make it hard for us. We're going to do what we can. But we won a lot of games this year on the road, and we did it because we're willing to move people around and have good balance and come at teams. We don't feel we've been as good a team as we need to be in the first two games by any means. Our execution in our own zone, the speed through the neutral zone, and the ability to sustain pressure in the neutral zone hasn't been what they're used to. So we'll focus on us. Be aware of who is on the ice, and try to get the right people out there. Q. Anything new with Draper and Datsyuk? And what is the hardest part about playing a Game 3 on the road in the playoff series when you're up 2-0? COACH BABCOCK: Well, I think Game 1 was huge. Then you got to Game 2 and it was a must-win, and then you get to Game 3 and it's a must win. So maybe the game you're playing is the most important one in the series. I think that's how it goes right through. So they're going to have some energy. I'd like to think we're going to have some energy. They're playing at home match-up-wise, line changes or whatever. We go first. They can do what they want that way. But really I think we're comfortable. And the other thing about us is we tend to play simpler on the road, so that's a good thing. Q. And Drapes? COACH BABCOCK: Drapes was ready to go yesterday. Q. You talked about that it took the team a little bit longer than you wanted it to to sort of find its defensive rhythm. And I know Hitchcock said, and I can't remember exactly what it was, but late in the season that if you guys started to play like this you were going to be hard to beat. Clearly that's about how hard you check. As a coach, do you have a strategy as you go into the season about obviously you can't check with that relentlessness all season long or you'd be worn out. Do you have a timeframe when you want to ease into that? Is that part of being a good team? COACH BABCOCK: I think we make it a priority from day one. We want the puck all the time. And the better you play without it, the more you have the puck. I don't think it comes -- I mean for our team, we try to be good defensively every night. We weren't this year like we wanted to be. Saying that in the big games this year we were pretty good. You know, I have to be honest with you, I'm not thrilled about a team that just does it. I think you should do it every day. But I knew coming into this year that's the way it was going to be. Now I think we take a lot of pride in playing good defense. I think you have to to win. They have two of the most elite players who are playing really, really hard that we faced. So you have to be good defensively to survive against them. Yet in saying that, if you are, you're going to get some counter opportunities. And I think they played excellent defensively. They've made it hard, they have checked the ice in half, they've played solid in their own zone. There isn't a lot of room thus far in the series, and I think it's evident in the scores and in the plays. Q. To check as hard as you do now all season long? COACH BABCOCK: No, I don't think that's possible. I think you can check hard, I really believe that, but I don't believe you can engage at this level. When you're in the regular season, you think you're playing hard, but that's because you're in the regular season and you are playing hard. So that first 20 games you're playing hard. Then the next 20 you get a little harder. Then there is a sweet period, and then you really bear down for the last 20. I mean, this is a whole different level than the regular season. You can't get your guys -- they can't get themselves. It's not humanly possible to play as hard, especially like on a back-to-back. You wouldn't have a game like that. It's impossible. So I don't think emotionally it's possible. I don't think physically it's possible when you think what you go through in the regular season and how many games there are. This schedule we have in the Stanley Cup Final is like one of those nightmare weeks or two weeks you have in the regular season that you think. Well, I accuse Kenny of being on holiday when the schedule is made. Q. You haven't had Datsyuk, and you say you guys have not played as well as you need to play. Are you amazed that you're up 2-0? COACH BABCOCK: Well, no. I like our team. I like our resolve. I like our will. I have to be honest when they announced the schedule I wasn't ecstatic by any means. I think the league's greatest resources are players, and I think you've got an obligation to look after them. We survived this 2-2, and now we're going into a 3-4. This day was so important for us. Getting to this day was a big thing. We had talked about it as a coaching staff prior to the series, we've got to get through the first two games. Q. Is there anything new on Datsyuk? COACH BABCOCK: Pardon me? Q. Is there anything new on Datsyuk? COACH BABCOCK: I haven't been in the medical room here today yet. But they haven't told me anything, and I don't expect anything new today. Q. Why do you think Chris Osgood is so good in the Stanley Cup Finals in particular? 10-2, his other numbers are pretty incredible. What is it about this big stage that brings out the best in him? COACH BABCOCK: Well, he's focused. I think Ozzie, I've said this a number of times, I think Ozzie has been a really good goaltender in the league for the last three years, technically. He got his game back, reestablished himself, learned how to butterfly. He's been good. His focus this year was like the rest of ours, not very good. Now he has that back, and he's had it back for some time, and he's played well for us. The other thing about it is been there, done that if you're him. You know, he's got to feel pretty good about himself. I said this earlier in the playoffs when they were talking about Steve Mason. I said there's two guys in the league that got three Stanley Cups, and Chris Osgood is one who is playing the net right now. Still playing, I think. And Brodeur's the other, if I'm not mistaken. To me, that's a huge boost of confidence for a guy like him. Q. How do you pronounce number 8's last name? COACH BABCOCK: Abdelkader. Q. And you scratched him in Game 3 in the Chicago series. And you mentioned that morning that you had struggled in Game 2. What has he shown you since coming back in Game 4 of that series? COACH BABCOCK: First thing that happened. Helmer was the fourth line center at that time, so Abby was playing on the wing. Not playing all year on the wing pro, and now having to play on the wing in the Stanley Cup Conference Final was a lot to ask the kid. And he was struggling with the position probably more so than that. Now he's playing his regular position, and I think it's like anything is. When you first come in you're a little bit star struck. But I've said this guy is a player you're going to talk about for a long time. He's going to be a physical force in the league. Forechecking, and he's going to have good enough hands to be around the net and play with the good players, and he's going to be a net presence. So he's going to be an important part of the future. In the meantime, he's providing energy. He scored a big time goal two games ago. And last game, I mean, it was one of those ones where you just spin and fired at the net. And, you know, seeing the puck and it found its way in. So it's good for him, good for his confidence and makes us a better team. The better he plays, the more important it is for us especially going on the road when you can't control every match-up. Q. You were talking a bit ago about the schedule and how you weren't initially thrilled and easily understood. But Commissioner Bettman told us that the possibility of opening with back-to-back nights was something that was discussed a year ago and was given a blessing by the general managers. Did Ken Holland not tell you about this? Did Ken Holland not give his blessing in this? COACH BABCOCK: You know, I have no idea the answer to that question. Ken told me about that the other day. The only thing I thought at the time, just think about this. You have 30 general managers in the league. You're at a meeting in the summer. How many are thinking they're playing in the Stanley Cup Final next year? How many? Two maybe. Oh, it doesn't matter. Let's go on to the next thing. So, I guess what I'm saying is I've now been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play on this stage a couple of times now, and I understand what it takes and how hard it is. I think you have to be fair. Q. Can you just talk about your team's playing in the third periods all throughout the playoffs, I think they've outscored opponents something like 19-6. Is that mostly because of depth or conditioning? What are some of the factors that lead into that? COACH BABCOCK: Yeah, I don't know the answer to that. Of the last two nights we haven't played like that though. We've been on our -- not heels. But I say this all the time. The Stanley Cup Finals are different than the playoffs and the regular season. As much as you get your guys to go after the other team in the third period most of the time, we haven't done that the last two games. We've been way more trapping and backing up and getting pucks and then guaranteeing them and playing them more in our zone, which I'd rather not do. In saying that, we've been solid and we haven't given up the lead, which is a good thing. But the best way to protect the lead is by playing in their zone and being on top of them, not by backing up. So I think earlier in the playoffs that's a good observation on your part. But the last two games aren't the same as earlier, as far as I'm concerned. Q. (No microphone). COACH BABCOCK: That's a good question. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not a big change guy especially when things are going good, we'll see. End of FastScripts |
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