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July 15, 2005
Congratulations go out to Mike Babcock from everyone at JTHF on his new
position as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings!
(The article below is from the
Detroit Red Wings Official Web site)
 Babcock
makes it official
DETROIT - Detroit general manager Ken Holland made it official
Friday as he introduced Mike Babcock as the Red Wings new head coach.
"Maybe the most exciting thing is that I'm coming here to join a family
in Detroit that's philosophy is based totally on a passion for winning,"
said Babcock, who spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
MIKE BABCOCK'S BIO:
Mike Babcock becomes the 26th coach in Detroit Red Wings history,
bringing winning track record at all levels of play including college
and junior hockey, the American Hockey League, the National Hockey
League and the highest level of international competition. The 2005-06
season will be the third for Babcock in the NHL and 13th overall as a
head coach.
In his last action behind the bench, Babcock helped lead Team Canada to
a victory at the 2004 World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic.
Selected as an assistant coach by Red Wings Assistant GM Jim Nill,
Babcock stepped up to serve as head coach after Joel Quennvile fell ill
and returned to the United States. Under Babcock's direction, the club
posted a 7-1-1 overall record in the tournament to capture the gold
medal after defeating Sweden 5-3 in the tournament final. He became the
first Canadian coach to serve as bench boss for both the World Junior
Championship team (1997) and senior World Championship team (2004).
Babcock spent the last two NHL seasons with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
where in his first season as an NHL head coach, Babcock led the Ducks to
their first ever Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Ducks became the
second post 90s expansion team to reach the Finals (Florida in 1996;
also Tampa Bay since) and the fourth team since 1926 from the Pacific
Time Zone to play for the Stanley Cup. In addition, Babcock became the
first rookie coach to reach the Finals since Florida's Doug MacLean in
1996 and the first ex-McGill University player to coach in the Finals
since the legendary Lester Patrick did so in 1937. With a four-game
sweep over Detroit in the first round, the Ducks became the first team
since the 1952 Red Wings (over Toronto) to sweep a defending Stanley Cup
Champion.
Prior to the Mighty Ducks 2003 playoff run, Babcock led the team to the
best regular season in the club's history with 40 wins and 95 points
(40-27-9-6). Anaheim was the most improved team in the NHL, finishing 26
points higher than they did in 2001-02 (69 pointes increased to 95).
Babcock became one of only eight coaches in league history to lead a
team to an improvement of 26 points-or-more in his first season as an
NHL head coach. Babcock's team-first approach also led to club records
for best goals-against average (2.32) and fewest goals allowed (193).
 Prior
to joining Anaheim, Babcock spent two seasons as head coach of the
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (2000-02), the primary development affiliate for
both Detroit and Anaheim in the American Hockey League. While with
Cincinnati, he led the club to a combined 74-59-20-7 record, including a
franchise-best 41 wins and 95 points in 2000-01. The qualified for the
Calder Cup Playoffs each season.
Babcock moved to Cincinnati following a successful six-year run as the
head coach of the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (1994-95
through 1999-00). While with Spokane, he had a regular season record of
224-175-29. He was twice named WHL Coach of the Year (1996 & 2000) after
taking the franchise to the league finals in both seasons. Additionally,
he was the head coach of the 2000 WHL West Division All-Star Team. In
1997, he earned the honor of coaching the Canadian World Junior Team,
leading the club to its last gold medal in the tournament.
In Canadian University play, Babcock won a national championship and was
named the Coach of the Year in one season with the Lethbridge Pronghorns
in 1993-94. He began his WHL career as head coach of the Moose Jaw
Warriors from 1991-93.
In 1988, Babcock was named head coach at Red Deer College in Red Deer
College in Red Deer, Alberta. He spent three seasons at the school,
winning the Alberta College Championship and Coach of the Year Award in
1989.
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Babcock played in the WHL for
Saskatoon (1980-81) and Kelowna (1982-83), where he was team captain. In
between, he spent a year at the University of Saskatoon. Babcock also
played four years at McGill University (1983-87), twice being named an
All-Star defenseman and team captain. He earned his bachelor's degree in
physical education and attended graduate school in sports psychology at
McGill.
Mike and his wife, Maureen, have three children: Allie, Michael and
Taylor.
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