Abel to Yzerman
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Bitter, Bitter In Saint Loo
by IwoCPO on 03/04/08 at 01:37 PM ET
Comments (19)
You know, I bring up from time to time the fact that the Blues fans have a Wing hatred that runs deeper than most of us even imagine. It’s tough for us to fathom; probably because we haven’t lost to any team as consistently, and as painfully, as the Blues have to Detroit over the years. I’ve always just assumed it was genetic, inbred, inherited, whatever.
But I’m finally realizing where it stems from...the media in St. Louis. For whatever reason, they are infatuated with the prospect of Wing failure. Yes, you know of Andy Strickland’s fictional follies over at Klessel’s pay-for-swill site.
Now another SL media member is chiming in.
Red Wings coach Mike Babcock will get the chance to turn things around as his injured players return, but his tenure could end if he fails to take Detroit deep into postseason play.
Where to start. First, with the obvious. Gordon offers no sources, as usual. When has it become the norm for “journalists” to throw out statements like that without anything to back it up? Give us something Jeff. Cite “anonymous sources” within the organization, or even “those familiar with the Detroit situation”. Just let us know it’s something other than your own wishful thinking.
Second: what’s your definition of “deep into the playoffs?” I guess that would be the second round for St. Louis, or just the postseason...period. But I think the conference finals would fall into anyone’s definition.
I’ll say this. The Wings could get swept by Bubba in the first round, be held scoreless and moon the crowd at the SoGay in Nashville for the final two minutes of Game 4 while the locals smear barbecue sauce all over each other...and he’d still have a job next year. At least that’s what “team sources” tell me.
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Comments
What is it about the St. Louis media vs. Babcock?
Last year they came out with the exact same crap.
Posted by w2j2 on 03/04/08 at 02:42 PM ET
What is it about the St. Louis media vs. Babcock?
Last year they came out with the exact same crap.
Maybe they want him as the Blues coach?
The same “Ken Holland to Toronto” rumours crop up like cockroaches, too.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/04/08 at 03:08 PM ET
And I have a hard time believing that “Jeff Gordon” is his real name, too. 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/04/08 at 03:09 PM ET
The Wings could get swept by Bubba in the first round, be held scoreless and moon the crowd at the SoGay in Nashville for the final two minutes of Game 4 while the locals smear barbecue sauce all over each other..
Family Guy quality right there.
Awesomeness
Posted by Osrt on 03/04/08 at 03:23 PM ET
Orst, I totally just pictured the Chief’s description in Family Guy-esqe animation, a la the episode about the New England Patriots. Awesome.
Posted by Nathan on 03/04/08 at 03:35 PM ET
Ken Holland is an imbecile, but he’s not dumb enough to fire Babcock. If he ever does, I hope our idiot GM is bright enough to sign him.
Posted by Thomas on 03/04/08 at 03:36 PM ET
My team sources out of St. Louis have told me that the Blues plan on golfing in April, and that Manny Legace may indeed finally hang enough after the season is over!
Posted by Jeremy from Bowling Green, OH on 03/04/08 at 04:08 PM ET
I can see by the bottom of this post that you’ve been to a game at the SoGay a few times, eh Chief?
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 03/04/08 at 04:18 PM ET
absolutely classic disrespect for all things central. top notch work sir!!
Posted by christpuncher from detroit on 03/04/08 at 04:21 PM ET
Ooooh! Look! Thomath ith back! Thomath ith back! Mutht be the thining of Floppa brought him out of hith thell.
All hail Thomath!! (with a TH of courth)
Posted by stuck at work on 03/04/08 at 04:24 PM ET
Ken Holland is an imbecile, but...I hope our idiot GM is bright enough to sign him.
Thhhommmy boy, if you couldn’t spell and write grammatically correct sentences, you’d be a complete idiot. So I guess you’ll just have to settle for being an incompete idiot.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 03/04/08 at 11:17 PM ET
I don’t know what’s dumber… Sgt TT’s schtick, or the idiots who regurgitate it.
Posted by Thomas on 03/04/08 at 11:33 PM ET
I don’t know what’s dumber…
How about a troll who comes to site that doesn’t meet their standards?
Also, have you noticed that everything you say seems to get contradicted in big ways by the larger hockey world. Take, for instance, your first claims that Detroit stinks at drafting. Then the entire year, virtually the whole hockey community praises Detroit’s ability to find gems in late rounds and develop them at a healthy pace.
Your claim now that Holland stinks was already anticipated, and rejected, by THN and Sports Illustrated who voted him the best GM in hockey, and professional sports.
I hope you continue to back Dater on Datsyuk’s playoff performance so I can look forward to the hockey community praising Dats’ as a playoff hero. Has he sucked in the past? Yeah, and we’re the first ones to notice. Did he step up in a big way last year? Yeah, hence our optimism.
Posted by Osrt on 03/04/08 at 11:56 PM ET
moon the crowd at the SoGay in Nashville for the final two minutes of Game 4 while the locals smear barbecue sauce all over each other
I’m pretty sure I was at that NOFX show in Ferndale about fifteen years ago.
Mike Babcock WILL be gone after this season. The brilliant management of MLSE want to pay him fifteen million a year to be the Leafs’ director of Public Relations and Communication…
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from speaking in tongues...or is it Babblecock? on 03/05/08 at 03:22 AM ET
Holland said he’s happy with the job Babcock has done and that a new contract won’t be tied to playoff success this year. “He’s obviously done a good job,” Holland said. “I think everybody knows I believe in loyalty.”
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 03/05/08 at 09:32 AM ET
Babcock is a windbag. A good coach? Yeah. There is no question he had had the Wings playing great hockey earlier this year. And he did get the team to the conference finals.
He needs a good performance in the playoffs. IMO, anything short of a trip the conference finals, and players will tune him out.
Posted by RedWingsCritic from N'arbor on 03/06/08 at 03:22 AM ET
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Babcock is clearly one of the top coaches in the league. He is a master at getting the most out of mediocre players (see: what Anaheim did to us in the first round a few years ago) but now that he actually has a roster full of talent we see that he’s good at getting the most out of them too.
A lot of people speak of Ken Holland’s and the Wings front office’s genius at drafting...well I think Babcock is a great example of genius in choosing a coach.
Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 03/04/08 at 02:21 PM ET