In Red Wings Land

Darren McCarty on Mike Babcock, cold-cocking Lemieux, Cup clincher and more – The Detroit News

“You always trusted Scotty (Bowman) because you respected him,” McCarty said. “I couldn’t say that about Babcock. … He’s the most egotistical person I’ve ever met, and I don’t understand that. Because like I said, I played with so many Hall-of-Famers, that when guys that are allowed to be that way, don’t act that way, and then you act that way, I don’t have respect for that.”

Still, the experience wasn’t all negative on McCarty’s end.

“I would say Mike Babcock is the greatest X’s and O’s, video preparation coach. Stats, I love stats, you’re all prepared like that,” McCarty said. “His practices are better than games. The way that he does the video, does the preparation, does all that stuff, I’m taking a page out of Mike Babcock’s book, not Scotty Bowman’s book.

I’m trying not to just blockquote the entire article. This stuff isn’t even the best part. Get to the bolded parts for some great stuff.

Around the NHL

Fair playoffs never were NHL’s priority — so why start now – NY Post

Remind me where these fine, upstanding, guardians of the hockey galaxy were in 2018 — when the teams with the two best overall records in the NHL, Nashville and Winnipeg, met in the second round of the playoffs?

Or that same year when, simultaneously, the clubs with the third- and fourth-best overall records, Tampa Bay and Boston, also faced off in the second round?

I’m always torn on Larry Broooks stuff because he always comes across to me as the guy you’re not terribly comfortable having on your side in an argument, but it is a bit refreshing that there is still a real true blogger voice out there who isn’t dispassionately regurgitating the news.