For more than a week, Detroit Red Wings' coach Mike Babcock listened as Pittsburgh Penguins' coach Michel Therrien railed on and on about obstruction, working the referees in order to get a call. On Tuesday, Babcock decided to get in on the fun.
Encouraged by his close personal friends in the Fourth Estate, Babcock was coaxed into complaining about the two goalie interference calls in Monday's overtime thriller, won in six periods by the Penguins on a power play. Babcock didn't want to get dragged into a debate, even though it was clear he didn't like either call, especially the second one on Daniel Cleary.
“I don't know what to say,” began Babcock. “If you were me sitting here, tell me, what would you say?
Reporter: “No one cares what I think.”
Babcock: “It's pretty evident they don't care what I think either,” but then, he changed his mind and decided to play along.
“I'll jump on the soapbox,” he said. “I'm going to try what the other guy's been trying all series.
“We talk about scoring more goals in the National Hockey League. We want more goals. No, they don't. Don't tell me that. I've never seen anything like that in my whole life.”
Babcock said he doesn't expect any negative response from the NHL because, “they saw the game too. Two guys driving the net, come on. We must be going to the next thing; I must have caused enough trouble.”
