Injuries

The Detroit Red Wings came into the season wondering whether they should have retooled their roster given the advanced age of most of their key players. The front office decided to make one more run at a Stanley Cup and things seemed to be going well as the team set the all-time record for number of home wins in a row. During this time period, you couldn’t find Red Wings tickets available anywhere.

Then the injuries hit.

Most teams will suffer one or two injuries to key players at one point or another during the season. The Red Wings should be so lucky! Their locker room looks like something out of a war movie. With injuries to the following key players, its is unclear how this will play an effect on the demand for Red Wings tickets. I know that if I was looking to buy Red Wing tickets to a game, I wouldn’t want to go unless I could see their star players. The following key players are out with injuries:

• Center Pavel Datsyuk out after arthroscopic knee surgery
• Norris Trophy Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom out with bad ankle injury
• Goalie Jimmy Howard out with lower back problems
• Defenseman Kyle Quincy out with groin problem
• Forward Todd Bertuzzi out with a groin problem
• Defenseman Jonathon Ericsson out with fractured left wrist
• Forward Justin Abdelkader out ill

To put it another way, the team has been missing its best offensive player in Pavel Datsyuk, it’s best defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom and it’s starting goalie Jimmy Howard. There is no team in the NHL that could overcome such losses, particularly combined with the other injuries the Red Wings have suffered, and maintain any kind of winning momentum. The Red Wings certainly haven’t.

Record Update

Predictably, the Red Wings have seen their record start to falter as young players brought up from the minor leagues simply cannot compensate for the loss of all the stars. Since February 24, the team has gone 3-4 and has fallen from the top position to fourth in the Western Conference. The results for the last seven games over this period were:

Feb 25: Lost 4-3 To Colorado
Feb 28: Won 5-2 Over Columbus
Mar 2: Won 6-0 Over Minnesota
Mar 4: Loss 2-1 To Chicago
Mar 6: Loss 3-2 To Philadelphia
Mar 9: Won 4-3 Over Los Angeles
Mar 10: Loss 3-2 To Nashville

It should be noted that the March 9 win over the Los Angeles Kings was considered one of the more bizarre victories by a team in the NHL in a very long time. The Red Wings were completely dominated and managed only eight shots in the entire game. Despite this, they managed to score 4 goals as the Los Angeles Kings goalie, Jonathan Quick, had a complete meltdown. Had that not occurred, a serious loss of interest for Red Wings tickets might have presented itself because the team would have been 2-4 for this stretch of games.

Improving

The question at this point is what can the Red Wings do to improve their game moving forward? Fortunately, the answer is fairly simple. They simply need to get their injured players back. All indications are that all the individuals listed above will be back with the possible exception of Jonathon Ericsson. As players return to the lineup, the performance of the team should improve as should their record. This should help spark new interest to buy Red Wings tickets again.

As odd as it may sound, all of injuries may turn out to be a good thing for the team in the long run. How so? The injured veteran players could use the time off to re-energize themselves. The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs start in less than two weeks. If players like Datsyuk and Lidstrom can get a couple weeks off from the grind of the NHL regular season, they should be fresh for the playoffs. This can make all the difference between losing in the earlier rounds because of fatigue versus going deep into the playoffs and potentially lifting the Stanley Cup one final time. If this were the case, I am glad I bought my Red Wings tickets early this year.

Moving Forward

Even with its poor record the last few weeks, the Red Wings are safely in the playoffs. They can spend the next two weeks refining their game while slowly bringing injured players back into the lineup. The closing schedule is not particularly difficult with multiple games against teams like Columbus and Carolina who are at the bottom of the standings. This should provide the team with plenty of flexibility to rest players and prepare for the first round of the Western Conference playoffs where it is anticipated they will play the physical Nashville Predators unless things change dramatically in the standings.

Can this veteran Red Wings team make one final run for the Stanley Cup? Only time will tell, but things seem to be lining up well for the Red Wings notwithstanding their current injuries. For all those that have already purchased their Red Wings tickets, lets hope that injuries will not plague this team in the coming weeks.

Overall

It is pretty hard to knock the Red Wings these days. To put it simply, they are leading the way in the NHL with the most points [82] and a record of 10 wins, 2 losses and 1 overtime loss since January 18, 2012. Their record has, of course, been strengthened by their 7 wins at home during this period, which has upped their home game winning streak to an NHL all time high of 22 games. Considering an NHL team only plays 82 games in a season and 41 at home, the streak is all the more impressive. Be sure to buy your Red Wings tickets to their next home game to say that you were there when the team made NHL history.

Opponents

It should go without saying that the NHL is a highly competitive league. That being said, any long winning streak often comes with an implied question of, “Well, who did they play?” In the Red Wings case, the competition has been of a high caliber with their games playing out as follows:

Jan 19: 3-2 win at Phoenix Coyotes
Jan 21: 3-2 home win against Columbus Blue Jackets
Jan 23: 3-1 home win against St. Louis Blues
Jan 25: 7-2 loss at Montreal Canadians
Jan 31: 3-1 win at Calgary Flames
Feb 2: 4-3 win at Vancouver Canucks
Feb 4: 4-5 OTL loss at Edmonton Oilers
Feb 6: 3-1 loss at Phoenix Coyotes
Feb 8: 4-2 win at home against Edmonton Oilers
Feb 10: 2-1 win at home against Anaheim Ducks
Feb 12: 4-3 win at home against Philadelphia Flyers
Feb 14: 3-1 win at home against Dallas Stars
Feb 17: 2-1 win at home against Nashville Predators

In short, the 30 day period has seen wins against such Stanley Cup hopefuls as the St Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators and Philadelphia Flyers. All and all, one has to say the Red Wings are rounding into shape nicely for a deep playoff run. I know that I cant wait to use my Redwings tickets when they make it to the playoffs.

Breakdown

On their current roll, it is really difficult to find anything the Red Wings need to do to improve moving forward. There once dismal power play defense has rallied as of late and is no longer their one weak area. The team is doing alright on the injury front with only Dan Cleary and Patrick Eaves out with injuries. Neither is critical to the team, but the issue of injuries is one that the team needs to consider. Ideally, Coach Mike Babcock would be able to start resting some of his aged veterans like Nick Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, but he really can’t. Despite their run and stellar record, the Red Wings sit only three points in front of the St Louis Blues who are on a similar run. This places Babcock in a tough position and it will be interesting to see if he rests some of his veterans during the remaining weeks of the regular season or pushes them hard to get the number one overall seed. Only time will tell, but I hope to see the veterans play the next time I decide to use my Red Wings tickets.

All Star Game

Despite their stellar record, the Red Wings only sent two players to the All Star game this year; Pavel Datsyuk and goalie Jimmy Howard. In truth, Nick Lidstrom begged off this year or he would have gone as well. Still, it was Datsyuk who was the first pick overall by the All Star captains, which verified that he is the best player in the game notwithstanding the attention given to players like Crosby, Malkin, Toews, the Sedin twins and Ovechkin. The game itself was the typical half speed exhibition with nothing much to report although Howard played well in only allowing three goals while in net.

The Red Wings looked primed for a deep run into the playoffs. There are only really two things that can stop them at this point; injuries and fatigue. With a roster that has a lot of experience, to wit, they are old; the potential for such problems is higher than with most teams. It will be interesting to see how Mike Babcock plays it through the end of the season. He certainly is walking a tightrope this year. If he gets it wrong, injuries could derail the team. If he gets it right, Nick Lidstrom could announce his retirement while doing a victory lap around the ice with the Stanley Cup held over his head. Be sure to hold on tight to your Red Wings tickets because I believe that this could the year that this happens.

Coming Into January

There was a time at the beginning of the season when the veteran Red Wings were playing poorly and seemed to have a difficult time selling out of Detroit Red Wings tickets. It is rather amazing what a difference a few months can make. The Red Wings are not only winning again, they are charging towards a rather amazing record.

Home Winning Streak

As of January 16, 2012, the Red Wings have won and sold out of Red Wings tickets for an astounding 15 straight home games. This puts them only five games away from the record of 20 sent by the Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins many decades ago. Buy your Red Wings tickets today for their next 5 home games to see if they can break the record. If they continue on their streak and win their next 5 home games, they would have won 25 percent of their entire season schedule during this streak. That is an amazing feat for any team.

January Games

The Red Wings are 5-2 for January going into their game against the Dallas Stars on January 17, 2012. The two losses have obviously come on the road. Let’s take a closer look at the games.

January 3: 5-4 win at Dallas
January 7: 4-3 loss at Toronto
January 8: 3-2 win at Chicago
January 10: 5-1 loss at the New York Islanders
January 12: 3-2 home win against Phoenix
January 14: 3-2 home win against Chicago
January 16: 5-0 home win against Buffalo

Positives

The Red Wings are obviously doing a lot of impressive things given their winning streak and the fact they are one point from the overall points lead in the league. Perhaps the most impressive thing is they’ve developed a consistently successful offense. If you have bought Red Wings tickets for a recent game, then you would know that every game is action packed. In January, they’ve averaged 3.28 goals a game, which is just above their season average of 3.2 goals a game and third best average in the league. A potent offense can take a team a long way in the NHL, which bodes well for the team come playoff time.

A second and equally positive development for the Red Wings in January has been their performance against top teams. They’ve beaten division rival Chicago Blackhawks both at home and on the road. The Blackhawks appear to be the strongest challengers for the division crown, so showing they can beat them both times is a very good precedent for the Red Wings to set. Make sure you there for the next time they play the Blackhawks, buy your Red Wings tickets today and save!

Negatives

If the Red Wings have one problem area, it is defending the power play. The team has consistently been amongst the worst ranked teams during the 2011-12 season and things have yet to improve. This is rather odd since the team has some of the best defensemen in Nikolas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart, top defensive forwards in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and a very solid goalie in Jimmy Howard. Some years, thing simply don’t come together on the special teams, but a bad power play defense can doom a team in the playoffs. Look for the coaching staff to really focus on this area as the team heads into the second half of the season. As a Red Wings tickets holder myself, it pains and worries me to watch when the Red Wings defend against power plays.

Moving Forward

The Red Wings start a short two game road trip with a game at the Dallas Stars on January 17, 2012 followed by a game at Phoenix on January 19th. Both games should sell out of Redwings tickets and be easy wins, but the real interest will be in whether the team can improve their power play defense.

Old Man River

Nobody doubted the talent on the Red Wings heading into the season. The only question was the one that none of us could avoid – AGE. Could the Red Wings make it through another season on their aching legs or was it time to rebuild. Management undoubtedly looked at the misery that will be the rebuilding process and decided to see if the old men could work one last season of magic. With this in mind, a bunch of 30 years olds and one epic 40 year old hit the ice. This will be a team that needs your support to boost moral. Be sure to purchase your Red Wings tickets now to cheer them on at every game.

The early season results made it look like management had made a very bad mistake. The team looked old and slow. The team went as far as losing five games straight at one point in the season. One could almost hear knees clicking as the players moved around the ice and the results showed as much. The Red Wings needed to do something to get people to stay interested in buying Red Wings tickets and they did. Just when it seemed like the great Red Wings era was over, someone either found the fountain of youth or made a deal with the devil. Players like 42 year old Nicklas Lidstrom and thirty year olds Pavel Datsyuk, Todd Bertuzzi, Dan Cleary, Johan Frantzen and Henrik Zetterberg all started to play well. People started getting very excited about going to games and a lot of Red Wing tickets sold out.

Suddenly, the Red Wings of old returned. The team clamped down on defense and started scoring again like it had in past seasons. The team shot up the standings and now has the second highest point total in the Western Conference with a 23-12-1 record good for 47 points. The gloom and doom is gone and the coach and players now talk openly about challenging for the Stanley Cup at the end of the year. I mean who wouldn’t want to buy Red Wings tickets to see them win the Stanley Cup? I know I would buy them if I had the chance.

Offense

The Red Wings are a treat to watch on offense, particularly when center Pavel Datsyuk has the puck. They have the 5th best offense in the league, which scores 3.3 goals a game as well as the 5th best power play which converts at 20.1 percent. Datsyuk leads the way with 38 points, while Johan Frantzen has a team best 14 goals. The real breakthrough player, however, is Valtteri Filppula who has 12 goals, 17 assists and 29 points. These three are followed closely in the points by a compliment of players, which gives the Red Wings one of the deepest offenses in the league.

Defense

The 2010 Red Wings defense was simply not good. Management seemed to realize as much and sought to bolster it with a new player for the top four pairing. It worked and the team returned to the fifth best defensive rating in the league. New addition Ian White has been a revelation with a +25 rating while Niklas Lidstrom continues to defy age and play at a very high level. Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall round out a top four that can match any in the league.

To have a truly fine defense, however, one has to have a top quality goaltender. Jimmy Howard has become that for the Red Wings. Scarily inconsistent when he first came up from the minors, Howard has settled down and become the anchor of the defense. He sports a 1.95 goal against average with a save percentage of .930. No team could ask for more.

Improvements

Do the Red Wings have any immediate concerns? Yes. They have shown a relatively porous power play defense. They let teams convert their power play opportunities at a 19.4 percent rate, which is 21st worst in the league. The team will need to tighten this up significantly if it hopes to go far in the playoffs where power plays take on added importance.

Outlook

The Red Wings looked all but dead early in the season. Now, they look like the Red Wings of old. Can they win another Stanley Cup? It is a long grind to get there and these players have seen plenty of miles pass under their skates. The talent is there, but it will take some good fortune to avoid any injuries to major players that could put a stop on their run. Lets hope that this does not happen. Be sure to go out and support the team by buying Detroit Red Wings tickets.

Bizarre Start

Many hockey gurus and fans were interested to see what the Red Wings management would do the last off season. The best way to describe many of the stars on the team is to call them “experienced”. This is, of course, another way to say that many of them are old and at the end of their careers. Although they may be older, it doesn’t seem to stop people from buying Red Wings tickets and supporting their team.

Early in the season, it looked like a good number of the veterans should have retired during the off season. The Red Wings started strong, but then took on the appearance of your daughter’s gold fish floating on top of the water after she forgot to feed it for a week. The Wings lost a staggering six games in a row for no appreciable reason other than they looked old, slow and tired. Many suggested time had caught up with them and it was time to rebuild.

We should have known better.

The Red Wings have become, well, the Red Wings again. They’ve gone 9-2 since the losing streak and are on a five game winning streak as I write this. The old veterans like Nicholas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holstrom, Danny Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi are playing strongly again. This has pushed the Wings from the dregs of the standings back up into the fourth position overall and only two points behind the rebuilt Chicago Blackhawks who lead the Central Division. With this newfound glory, Redwings fans from all around have started demanding more Redwings tickets.

Injuries

For such a veteran team, the Red Wings are in surprisingly good health. The fact that the team is in good health has helped them continue to sellout of Red Wings tickets. None of the key players have any injuries that are keeping them off the ice. The biggest loss is role player Patrick Eaves who is out with a broken jaw. While a nice player, the loss of Eaves isn’t exactly going to be holding the Wings back moving forward.

Good Health To Last?

The real question is can the good fortune last through the season and into the playoffs? Of the Wings ten star players, only goalie Jimmy Howard is under the age of 30. The three players that the team absolutely cannot do without are all over 30 with Nicholas Lidstrom being 41 years old, Pavel Datsyuk a well worn 33 and Henrik Zetterberg coming in at 31. Opposing teams do their best to play as physical as possible with these three teams each game, so many fans are reluctant to buy Red Wings tickets for future dates because one has to wonder if they will remain off the injured list for much longer.

The truth of the matter is the Red Wings understand the risk they are taking. The management has clearly decided to make one last run for the Stanley Cup with this group of players. Once the team decides to rebuild, it is going to be a brutal few seasons as the team has no young talent to speak of and will have to essentially rebuild from scratch. Given this, trying to ride these veterans to one last Cup makes sense. The team is clearly good enough when healthy. The only question is can it stay that way in the long run?

I have my doubts.

10/07/2011: Ottawa – 5-3 (won)
10/08/2011: Colorado – 3-0 (won)
10/13/2011: Vancouver – 2-0 (won)
10/15/2011: Minnesota – 3-2 (won)
10/21/2011: Columbus – 5-2 (won)
10/22/2011: Washington – 1-7 (lost)
10/25/2011: Columbus – 1-4 (lost)
10/28/2011: San Jose – 2-4 (lost)
10/29/2011: Minnesota – 0-1 (lost)
11/01/2011: Minnesota – 1-2 (OTL)
11/03/2011: Calgary – 1-4 (lost)
11/05/2011: Anaheim – 5-0 (won)

After starting the season like the elite team they were supposed to be, they suddenly lost their strides and started to go down with six straight losses. The whole thing started when they went up against the Washington Capitals for the battle between unbeaten teams from the Eastern and Western conference. They lost badly that game and things began to look different from then on. Twelve games into the season, the Detroit Red Wings has displayed a dual personality. One is that of an elite team capable of stringing together wins in succession, and the other is of a team that is occupying the bottom of the standings that has no problems losing games in succession. If they continue with their losing ways, I am sure fans will stop buying Redwings tickets to support the team. Three of those six losses suffered by the Red Wings came from the hands of opponents they have beaten earlier – Columbus (once) and Minnesota (twice). If this is any indication, then their game against the Avalanche on Tuesday might be going in their opponent’s favor. They will need your help to prevent this from happening. Purchases your Red Wings tickets now and cheer them to victory.

The 5-0 shutout over the Anaheim Ducks showed the Red Wings might have already overcame their slump. The team attributed the losses to their inability of putting the puck into the net. The game against Anaheim was different. The Red Wings attacked the goal incessantly the whole game, and that was the reason why they scored that many goals. The coaching staff said that they are not going to make any changes. They are going to go with what they have and stick with it. The players believe in the system and, eventually, the goals will be coming in like what happened in their last game against Anaheim.

The Red Wings upcoming game against Colorado is significant in some ways because you have a team that is out for payback, and the other team is on the verge of bouncing back from its slump. Like what the coaching staff said earlier, they do not have to do anything different. Just like how fans should do nothing differently and continue to buy Red Wings tickets. If there is anything they have to do to get better, then perhaps a change in the players attitudes towards each game is the one they have to focus on. They have to attack the net relentlessly the entire game until the goals start going in. After all, that is what the Detroit Red Wings are known for. They were second in the NHL last season in goals made.

With one’s very own Redwings tickets, one can watch America’s favorite team make another run for the playoffs where they shall make history. So yeah, buying Redwings tickets is a must for a fan. Where to get these tickets? Of course, a thrifty fan would go where they can get the lowest prices, but with access to the best seats at the stadium, choice between luxury suites or club seats. Well, a fan will always be a fan, and sometimes location won’t matter, for as long as the idols can be seen. But then again, should there be great seats available for away games, where die-hard fans can shout and make themselves heard to show full support, then that would be it. Only problem is, if they are indeed available, these seats won’t be available for very long. So imagine if you missed that, then you will be missing a great part of the Red Wings history.

Better check out the site www.redwingstickets.org, where tickets are available for all Red Wings games for the coming season. Best of all, it shall include the pre-season games. This is the site that shall help you secure tickets for even the most in-demand games of the Detroit Redwings. Having a shot at watching every game live is just like winning a million in the lotto.

Who can better understand your need for Red wings tickets than the real Red Wings fans like yourself? The guys at www.redwingstickets.org know the value of watching a live Red Wings game, and sharing that opportunity with you is their business. Literally! Who else will help you get the best seats than a fellow who wish to sit on those seats too. Who knows that the best seats aren’t always expensive? Or at least not that kind that drowns you to make you decide not to go to the games anymore.

Imagine buying Redwings tickets from someone who isn’t as passionate as you about the Detroit Redwings— that would be a total disaster. It’s like buying pizza without the dough. I am sure you would not be happy in that. So, which would you rather do? Be a Cheerleader for Detroit Redwings, and die trying.. or check out the site for games and updates and purchase your tickets at www.redwingstickets.org? I am sure you will choose the latter.

Buy your Red Wings tickets now to see one of the strangest traditions in the world of sports. In Detroit after a big win or to show their appreciation for something really outstanding hockey fans throw octopi onto the ice. Why do they throw octopi? The story of the octopus goes back more than fifty years.

To truly understand the tradition, you have to understand the format for the NHL playoffs. In the 1950s there were only six teams in the NHL. These teams are now known as the original six. In order to gain the right to hoist Lord Stanley in victory you had to win eight games.

Local fish store owners Jerry and Peter Cusimano made the connection between the number of wins needed to gain the cup, and the legs on an octopus. For some strange reason they thought that throwing an Octopus onto the ice would bring their team good luck. They threw the very first Octopus onto the ice on the 15th of April 1952. Detroit did make the Stanley Cup final playoffs that year. They not only made the finals, but they swept the series. The beat the Montreal Canadian four games to none. The octopus instantly became the good luck symbol of the Detroit Red wings.

Who gets the fun of cleaning up the chucked octopi? This dubious honor has for more than thirty years been the responsibility of Al Sobotka. Al is both the Zamboni driver and the arena manager. Al has been at the arena so long, that he has himself become part of the tradition. Al is well known for twirling the octopi after he has picked them up. He even had a fifty pound octopus ride on the front of the Zamboni with him during one playoff game.

Throwing octopus is not popular with the entire league. In fact, there is a standing rule in the NHL which states that if a fan tosses anything onto the ice, the home team may be assessed a delay of game penalty. For years the league has simply turned its head when it came to octopus tossing in Detroit. To at least tone down the octopus antics, the league stated in 2008 that it would fine Al $10,000 if he continued to twirl the octopi. The league claimed that the goalies and players on the opposing teams were complaining about guts and debris being left on the ice. Al has since refrained from spinning the octopi until he is off the actual ice.

In 2011, Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL made another attempt to combat the fish tossing in Detroit. He stated that the league would fine any person caught throwing octopi $500. To counter this one of the Detroit Red Wing forwards, Johan Frazen offered to pay any and all fines incurred as a result of thrown octopi. He did not want this long standing tradition to die.

Detroit is known as hockeytown. If you do decide to go and watch a game in Joe Loius arena, you may not see cheerleaders, but you will probably see Al. If you are lucky enough to go to a playoff game, you might want to be on the lookout for flying octopi, not every Detroit Red Wing fan has a good arm!

The Detroit Cougars (Red Wings) entered the NHL in 1926. Although, they are considered to be one of the original six, this title is misleading. The NHL was officially started in 1917. The team that was founded in Detroit was actually a team that moved from B.C. to Detroit. The Victoria Cougars had been playing in the Western Hockey League. This Canadian league, which was on the verge of folding, was able to make a deal with the NHL. All of the players on the Victoria Cougars would be relocated to Detroit for the start of the 1926 season.

When the Cougars arrived in Detroit, there was no place for them to play. They played the entire first season across the border in Windsor, Ontario. The new arena, The Detroit Olympia was completed in time for the 1926-1927 season, and Cougars were finally able to play an actual game in their home city. With head coach Jack Adams leading the team, the Red Wings were ready to make an impression on this city. The Cougars made the playoffs for the first time in 1929, but they were defeated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1930 the franchise was renamed the Falcons. Despite the name change, the team had a number of dismal seasons before they were sold to James E. Norris. One of Norris’ first decisions was to change the name of the team, again. The Detroit Red Wings hit the ice for the first time in 1932. Under the new name, the franchise was able to make the quarter finals for the first time in 1932. In 1934 they made the semi-finals after defeating the Montreal Maroons in the quarters.

The Red Wings were able to make the Stanley Cup final in 1934. Despite a hard fought battle, they were defeated by the Chicago Black Hawks. However, in 1936 the Red Wings would not be denied. They were able to hoist the Stanley Cup in victory, having beaten the Toronto Maple Leafs. They would hoist the cup again in 1937, after managing to win against the New York Rangers.

The title “one the original six which”, which is frequently attributed to this team, refers to the six teams that made up the NHL from 1942 to 1967. During this time the Red Wings were able to win the coveted cup five times. They were able to make the playoffs almost every year and fans were hooked. In 1967, the leagues added six new teams. This expansion would begin a drought for the Red Wings, who would not hoist Lord Stanley again until 1997. The Wings swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four straight games, to take the 1997 series.

In its colorful journey the Detroit Red Wings have hoisted the Cup eleven times, which is the record for the most cup wins by an American franchise. It has won the President’s Cup six times, and has nineteen division championships. This explosive hockey team continues to thrive by selling out Red Wings tickets to almost every game. The teams ability to thrill and delight fans in hockeytown each and every season keeps them coming back for more.

Babcock claims that his winning philosophy comes from his father. Mike Babcock Sr. was a hard working mine pit boss, in Canada. He told his young son that if you want to be the boss you “can’t ask people to work hard if you are not willing to work hard yourself”. This attitude is something that Mike has employed throughout his entire life. Both as a player and behind the bench, Mike believes in leading by example. It is no doubt this view that has lead Mike to a lifetime record of 656-470-114.
Mike took over the head coaching position of the Detroit Red Wings after a two year stint with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

He joined the Red Wings in 2005, and has never looked back. With Mike at the reins, the Red Wings have never missed the play-offs. They have made the Conference finals three times and have appeared in the Stanley Cup final twice. Their appearance in the 2008 Stanley Cup final culminated in a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Detroit Red Wings won the series 4-2.

Mike’s victories are not limited to the NHL. He is the first coach in history to win what the International Ice Hockey Federation is terming the triple crown of coaching. He has won a Stanley Cup, the World Championship and the Olympics. He was able to lead the Canadian Olympic hockey to a gold medal in 2010. His World Championship came in 2004 when he led Team Canada to a victory over the team from Sweden. Additionally, he has a world junior championship under his belt.

Off the ice, Mike is a supporter of a number of charities. Mike is the spokesperson for the Jeffery Thomas Hayden Foundation. The JTHF is a charity that is dedicated to helping children, who have brain tumors, and their families. They also promote awareness and education. His charitable work extends into Canada. In recognition for his contributions, his hometown of Saskatoon, has named a day after him. July 17th 2010, was the first official Mike Babcock Day. This honor was given in recognition for his aid in dealing with The Children’s Health Foundation.

To add to his long list of achievements, Mike has also been named as the Coach of the Year by both the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Inter-university Sport group. He was also named as a finalist for the Jack Adams award in 2008. The Jack Adams award is presented to the NHL’s Coach of the Year.

In the 2010-2011 season Mike lead his Detroit Red Wings to an impressive 82-47-25 and 10 OTLs. The team finished the season with 104 total points. It was the sixth time that Mike and his crew finished the season with more than 100 points. If his history is any indication, this season will no doubt be an explosive one for fans of the Detroit Red Wings. Make sure you buy your Red Wings tickets early because games should sell out fast!