Babcock To Guide Red Wings For Four More Years

    The Detroit Red Wings have convinced head coach Mike Babcock to sign on for four more years of duty. Babcock has guided the Wings to back to back Stanley Cup finals appearances while becoming the first coach in NHL history to lead his squad to four consecutive 50 win season in his first four years at the helm.

    It appears that he needed a bit of convincing to remain with the club for an extended length of time as he was headed for coaching free agency after six seasons in the motor city. Babcock weighed the opinions of colleagues Lindy Ruff, Barry Trotz, and Dave Tippett while making his decision to gain perspective on both sides of the fence. Ruff and Trotz have served a great length of time with their clubs while Tippett has enjoyed a revival from switching clubs.

"I said, 'Tipper, do I need to go someplace different to try to be the best I can be?...He said, 'Not a chance.'" - Babcock on Dave Tippett's response

    One of Babcock's primary concerns was not having to move his youngest daughter during her high school tenure and ultimately decided to keep that level of comfort present thought his immediate family.

"I didn't really want to go, but I would've been in a position to get a long-term deal somewhere and still let my youngest daughter be in the same place through high school. Now, she can do that here. Me and my wife are thrilled about that." - Babcock on his decision to stay in Detroit

    GM Ken Holland and The Red Wings couldn't be happier with his decision as he has compiled a 254-101-52 over the last five season in Detroit.

"His stock as a head coach is probably as high as anybody's and he could've gone on the open market next summer. We started talking about it in June and July, went our separate ways, and we knew this would get done. He loves it in Detroit...Mike's family has made roots here with their kids in school and it has become their home like it has for my family and the Nills. He knows we have committed ownership and he believes in our players, scouts, and front office so this made sense for him and for us." - GM Ken Holland on Babcock's decision to stay

    Detroit now has their core of scoring forwards, management, and head coach locked up through 2015 which puts them in a tremendous position to stay at the top of the league while maintaining one of the top notch scouting departments in the NHL.

-Dustin Lundberg