Mike Babcock was pretty funny today at the morning skate, in advance of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final between his Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Babcock had reporters in stitches with a couple of answers, including one about injured forward Johan Franzen, who was visiting the doctor, seeking clearance to play. Babcock said there was no update on Franzen, currently listed as day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms, so presumably, that means he remains out for tonight, but could play Monday. On the other hand, in the playoffs, miraculous recoveries sometimes occur. Offically, though, Babcock's take was: "He's at the doctor's or whatever. If we keep sending him to doctors, pretty soon we'll find someone who will shut him down for his life, I'm pretty sure."
Babcock also took mild exception to a question that implied his team was less "greasy" than the Anaheim Ducks team he piloted to the 2003 Stanley Cup final. The implication was that the Red Wings win on skill alone; this is something Babcock has heard throughout the playoffs and thinks misrepresents how his team plays. "I think we really compete, I think totally different than what people talk about. I think sometimes on the outside looking we think competition is punching someone on the head after the whistle. That's not for me. Competition to me is you draw a line in the sand and you decide who wants the ball more. It happens every day in my living room with my kids. It happens right here at the rink, it's going to happen here tonight. To me that's what competition is. The competitive people, who are really, really talented, continue to play at this time of year."