How much credit does Babcock deserve?

[Ironslave]

He deserves a lot of credit. Obviously the players deserve the most, but the management group picked a great team, and the coach played a part in getting them to play well, especially defensively.

I think in hindsight the management team would maybe have found a place for Giroux, perhaps even as the replacement over St. Louis who was underwhelming (in a limited role), but bottom line is they won gold.

 

[PG Canuck]

He made the most of what he had. He's a great coach, and that's just a fact.

 

[robdicks]

He got a team of all stars to buy in and dominate a tournament. All the vitriol spewed at him earlier was ridiculous.

That's the way things go. Winning isn't enough for this country. We have to dominate every game. It's stupid.

 

[MountainGoat]

he is a perfect coach

 

[JackSlater]

Turns out that Babcock knows more than most of the posters here, myself included. Who knew?!

Credit to Ralph Kreuger as well. Canada never looked so comfortable on the larger ice surface.

 

[Faltorvo]

49 years old and this was easily the best coached and most disciplined Canadian team I have ever seen AINEC!

 

[silkyjohnson50]

he is a perfect coach

That he is not. Did an amazing job getting this group to buy in, but he is not without flaws.

Tomas Tatar was in the pressbox to start the season in favor of Cleary, Samuelsson, and Bertuzzi.

 

[flaneur]

Babcock definitely deserves a lot of credit. He imposed his will and got the entire team to buy into a system that dominated when it finally got clicking.

If the NHL continues to participate in the Olympics I foresee a lot of ball hockey played by other countries in the future.

 

[Smif]

I think it makes it easier when your two best players (Crosby & Toews) are also your hardest working, most determined, and most disciplined players. They set the tone for the team.

 

[1UP]

He extracted maximum value from a star lineup, and made them play within a well defined system very quickly.

He got everyone on board. Even those that didn't play much, like Subban, Hamhuis or Luongo were very supportive.

Not easy.

 

[Incognito]

Towards the beginning of these Games, I thought Babcock was an idiot and I found myself questioning a lot of his decisions. However, as the tournament went on, I realized how wrong I was. He's actually a genius, and a master strategist.

 

[Bounces R Way]

He deserves a ton of credit. Team Canada didn't win this gold with skill, they won it through executing a game plan and playing terrific team hockey. I watched every minute and can't even think of one time outside the Latvian bench move where the players looked at all lost or out of position. Their commitment to defence, short shifts, puck battling, backchecking, and discipline was outstanding and I think that starts with the coach. Him bringing in Kreuger was a great display of doing what it takes to win, wanted some help with the big ice and got it.

The whole staff really need to be given some kudos, picked a team they thought was conducive to their plan and followed through with it. As great as this gold was for the players and the fans, I'm equally happy for Hockey Canada for this win as an organization. The right people doing the right things getting the right result is a lot harder than you'd think it would be. Yzerman wins a cup in Tampa in the next 10 years, that guys a pro.

 

[Gotaf7]

Really like how he got all the super stars to check their ego's at the door, and accept the role he wanted from each guy. What a TEAM performance!

 

[SirKillalot]

Give Babcock some toys to play with and he'll give you a team that is extremely hard to beat. Great coaching from him and his staff. Great GM-job as well.

 

[Boom King]

Great job by him and his staff. Deserves full credit. Heard that he will be marching in the closing ceremonies.

 

[Corto]

I said it another thread, Babcock makes Team Canada teams twice as good as they were under any other coach in the past.

Hats off.

 

[Rexor]

I was really impressed by the discipline, calmness and overall profesionalism of this team. In the last two games, they were playing almost mistake-free. I'm not sure it's the best thing for the game because despite the tremendous talent on their side they weren't exactly playing an exciting brand of hockey but from a tactical standpoint, they were perfect. I don't recall seeing anything like this before, from any team.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

At the first Team Canada camp, Babcock writes on the dressing room wall "Check your egos at the door.". The team embodies that attitude. He's a phenomenal coach and I'm very happy Ottawa has his disciple in Paul MacLean coaching us. He's a mini-Babcock.

 

[Hammer Time]

Whatever you think of his lineup decisions, he got all the players to accept and play their roles. This Canada team really reminded me of the 07-09 Red Wings - they played the same puck-possession game whether they were down, tied, or in the lead, and if you were playing against them you'd be too tired from chasing the puck around to think about scoring. Giving 60 minute efforts - no slacking off with a lead in the third. Disciplined - no extraneous stuff after the whistle. That kind of responsible puck domination game is the surest route to victory when you have a sufficiently talented team. Babcock got a lot of credit then and he should get credit for this Olympics. It's nice to see him pull it off with a team I cheer for.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

A ton Babcock and the rest of his staff deserve big props. Schooled the other countries with their game plan and execution.

 

[Stanley Foobrick]

He set out a great, simple, defense first strategy for his team to follow. But even more than that he had the respect of his players to play roles they weren't accustomed to on their NHL teams.

Hall of Fame coach one day.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Whatever you think of his lineup decisions, he got all the players to accept and play their roles. This Canada team really reminded me of the 07-09 Red Wings - they played the same puck-possession game whether they were down, tied, or in the lead, and if you were playing against them you'd be too tired from chasing the puck around to think about scoring. Giving 60 minute efforts - no slacking off with a lead in the third. Disciplined - no extraneous stuff after the whistle. That kind of responsible puck domination game is the surest route to victory when you have a sufficiently talented team. Babcock got a lot of credit then and he should get credit for this Olympics. It's nice to see him pull it off with a team I cheer for.

Yep, I just said on the Wings board that this Canada team reminded me of the 08 Wings. Got a roster of talented players to buy into a system, and absolutely smothered the opposition all over the ice.

And credit to the Canadian players too, they really did check their egos at the door.

 

[Coach Travis]

An enormous amount. That wasn't a team, that was a machine.

 

[Bieksa#3]

I think Ralph Kreuger deserves a lot of credit because of his experience on international ice

 

[Beau Knows]

He was masterful.