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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: PENGUINS v RED WINGS

June 12, 2009

Mike Babcock

DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Seven

Q. Any lineup or line changes for tonight?
COACH BABCOCK: No.

Q. This morning when you woke up, did it feel any different?
COACH BABCOCK: Well, I think pretty much I did exactly what I always do. Went for a run. Went through the game. Did all the stuff I've always done. I think yesterday for me was different because it's exciting. I mean, it's just flat out exciting to be here.
Anywhere you go in this town, people are talking about it, and excited about it. And plan on watching it. It should be good.

Q. You always talk about trying to keep everything the same every day. Will there be something that you'll say, something different before the team goes out on the ice that you can share with us, that you wouldn't in Game 4 or 5?
COACH BABCOCK: You know, if anything, I'll probably be calmer and more boring. No, I don't believe in that. I believe that we're a prepared group. That we don't need to get them more excited. That's not the issue here tonight. It's controlling your emotions so you're at the right level of activation so you can execute. That will be what we talk about.

Q. This time of year and prior to Game 7 you read and you hear about all these statistics that have nothing to do with tonight's game, but for instance, no road team in professional road sports has won Game 7 in the Championship Series since the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979. Do you pay any attention to that? Are you heartened by that at all?
COACH BABCOCK: No, I don't even think about that. You know, I just tell you that we have a group of guys in there that we feel we've got a pretty good handle on what's going on in our organization, and we talked to each other and gather information from one another. And I've talked to all the key players on our team in the leadership group. We feel we're prepared for the opportunity, and we're excited about the opportunity. I think that's the key thing here is, just like I've heard everyone else say, it's as good as you get. I mean, to me this is what it's all about. And it should be a great game and a lot of fun.

Q. Given the so-called Cup hangover that other teams have had in recent years, you're here in Game 7 of the Cup Finals. It's been a long year up-and-down. Do you take stock in that that you've sort of in a lot of ways beaten the odds that other recent Cup champions weren't able to overcome?
COACH BABCOCK: For sure I do. I'm very, very impressed with our group. This to me, in all the teams I've ever coached -- I mean, we had a great team last year, don't get me wrong. And I've coached lots of good teams that have won. But this team here has found a way to keep overcoming. No matter who gets hurt. No matter what goes wrong, they keep on keeping on.
I've been so impressed with the leadership of Nick Lidstrom and the stick intuitiveness of the group, and finding a way. There's lots of times this year it didn't look very pretty, and we've found a way to be here. I think you take a lot of stock in that.
The other thing you do is there's going to be -- the game's going to end tonight, and everyone's getting ready for next year. Now we're a couple of months behind. And we plan on being good again next year, and then the year after that. And to me the test of time is important for players. It's important for coaches, and it's important for our organization. So, yes, that's important to us.

Q. So many players said after Game 7 against Anaheim that that was the loudest they'd ever heard this building. You have to expect tonight it's going to be even louder?
COACH BABCOCK: Oh, it better be louder. I mean, it should be a lot of fun. I hope they're cheering the Zamboni before warm-ups starts.
One of the fondest memories I've ever had of Game 7 was when I coached major junior hockey in Spokane. I don't know how we did it, but we managed to coach our team into a 3-0 deficit against the Portland Winter Hawks and we ended up winning in Game 7. But I remember getting back from the road trip. In those days you traveled, well, junior hockey you traveled on the bus, you got in the games the next day, and the people were in their tents waiting to buy tickets. I just remember the building shaking before the warm-up. It was absolutely shaking. It was exhilarating for the players, and we found a way to win.

Q. I know you focus on the game first and foremost, but will you take a moment either when you're out there on the ice before it starts, during the Anthem maybe a time out to just soak it all in and realize how fortunate you are?
COACH BABCOCK: I do that every night during the National Anthem. You know, so during the National Anthem it's a private, special time. You're there. You get to enjoy it. I come out, I wave to my family, and I do that every single night. It should be good.
Obviously, anybody in this room, we're all real blessed. For me to get the opportunity to do what I get to do for a living, incredible.

Q. We've talked about this before, but to a lot of people tonight this is more than a hockey game. It happened with the Spartans in Detroit, and just can you elaborate again on how special this could be to the city and to the state of Michigan?
COACH BABCOCK: Well, I think obviously the Spartans did a great job. And we were able to host the Final Four here. You know, the community really got behind it, and they got to play in it. I think it was fantastic. The same has happened here with the Red Wings. The ladies always tell me in the playoffs when I'm walking out or coming in, the ladies remind me every time, Coach, we got to get a win today, I want to work tomorrow. That hits home. They don't mind telling me either, they make sure (laughing). And I respect that. I really do. Because there's lots of people that get to work longer because we played better.
That's one of the things Kenny Holland and I, and I said this, we talked about this during the Anaheim series, we have to find a way to keep playing, and so here we are.

Q. Obviously, this game's going to be special for the young kids, but how excited are you for the veterans of the group?
COACH BABCOCK: Well, I think it's special. I'm not the oldest guy, Cheli is (smiling). But I think it's special for everybody. Anyone who is involved in this. Steve Yzerman told me the other day when I was talking to him about what he thought, he told me he never got this opportunity. You know, what a great thing. Since '51, no one has. Mr. Lindsay comes in, Mr. Howell comes in, they always share their experiences, Alex Delvecchio with us. But this is one to me you're going to remember forever. And there's lots of them.
If you're fortunate to be involved in hockey, and you're fortunate to be around winning, when I think of -- and I can picture it in my mind's eye right now -- winning the CIU National Championships and those players, and I can picture the World Jr., and World Championships and all those things. Can you picture all the winning you've done, you walk together forever. This is no different here today, this opportunity we have.

Q. Guys make names for themselves in Game 7, like Fedotenko. Do you wonder in your room who that guy might be tonight?
COACH BABCOCK: Yeah. That's an interesting thought. I haven't thought about it like that. I'm looking for ordinary. And what I mean by that is I'm looking for everyone to just do their part. If we all just do our part, we're going to be a real happy group.
Yes, someone's going to get a chance to be the guy who scores the game-winning goal or whatever. Obviously, there's lots of guys on our team that have to have thought of it themselves. I told people the other day I used to be Bobby Orr scoring a goal in road hockey. Now these guys have an opportunity to do it for themselves, that's pretty cool.

Q. You've talked and your players have said you're excited about this situation, yet, none of you would have said that prior to Game 6. You didn't want a Game 7, obviously. How much of a refocus? You've had three days to chew on a tough defeat. How much of a refocus is needed to get back in the moment now? Or do you have enough of a veteran group that you don't worry about that?
COACH BABCOCK: I think probably before we landed, but definitely by the next morning. I mean, you're disappointed. Don't get me wrong, we lost the game.
But this is a pretty good -- I've said this a hundred times. I don't know how to say it any different. This is a pretty good opportunity. I think even you people that are covering it got to be excited about it. It's a great thing, and it's great for our game.
I say this to coaches and to referees and to players all the time, the better we all do of selling our game, the longer we're all going to work. And the bigger and the better job we do at it, and we're all in it together, really, in the end, because the better our game is. The better off we all are. And I think that's a real important thing. When you think from a lockout to where we are now, how far we've come, fantastic thing.

Q. I know yesterday you mentioned in the room that you mentioned the '72 Bruins. Can you talk about why you talked about them?
COACH BABCOCK: Well that's who I remembered. As a kid when I was 9 that's when I was playing road hockey, that's what I was thinking about. You know, and Bobby Orr was my favorite player.
You know, I didn't know that even to be honest with you, I didn't know they had beaten the Rangers 4-2, and it was actually 3-0, and he scored the first goal, the guys dug it out for me after that. I didn't know any of that stuff. I just knew that's who -- you know, later on, whether it be Rogie Vachon, they were always yelling about whatever it was, there were always kids names they're yelling.
I'm sure in Detroit where they've got the nets out all the time they're yelling Ozzie, as he makes a great save. That's a great thing.

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