Team Culture & Why Babcock Loves The Veterans

As soon as the Red Wings were eliminated, talk turned to Mike Babcock’s upcoming free agency. With every team trying to sign him, people have analyzed his past moves. The largest criticism is his tendency towards playing hard-working veterans instead of skilled rookies. Although he a tactical genius, his player personnel decisions have been questionable at best. Resigning Dan Clearly and signing Weiss instead of Fillpula were allegedly both Babcock’s idea. This does not include his usage of Jakub Kindl, Brendan Smith and Tomas Jurco during this season alone. While I do not always agree with these decisions, it is time to acknowledge that they do not occur without reason.

When skilled players enter the league, they typically believe their skill is all they need to be successful; therefore, they do not have the attention to detail Babcock’s system requires. His largest criticism against Pulkkinen, and early Tatar and Nyquist, was that they needed to improve their defensive game. By rewarding only the players who work hard and play well defensively, Babcock creates a standard. These moves send the message that the only way to get more ice time is by working hard and paying attention to the defensive end.

Intangibles and the idea of guys who are “good in the room,” is widely overused by mainstream media. That being said, this impact still exists, particularly on a team level. Both of the moves mentioned above are clear mistakes by Babcock if looking at only the skill of the individuals. However, we must remember that the player’s impact is larger than their individual skill. While Cleary or Weiss are not nearly as talented as the player they are replacing, their addition sets a standard. These moves send a message to the rest of the team that everyone is accountable for bringing energy and attention to the defensive end. By maintaining this culture, these moves can improve the other player’s work rate, increasing the team’s success

I personally believe Babcock goes too far in enforcing this culture. While he continues to play Ericsson instead of developing Smith or Kindl, Ottawa’s success this season began when Dave Cameron gave more ice time to the younger skilled players. However, it is important to remember that this culture is still necessary. Even if the players are less skilled, their addition can have a positive impact on the team’s success by creating and maintaining this culture. You can disagree with the moves but there is some logic behind them, the key, as always, is finding the right balance.