Today's post-morning skate press conference for Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock began with an interestingly abnormal occurrence - a Wings PR person told the assembled media that Babcock would not be fielding or answering any questions about his future with the team, as reported by NBC Sports.
It's entirely fair for Babcock to already be tired of answering questions about his future five games into an 82-game season. It's entirely fair for the Red Wings organization to want the focus to remain on the current campaign and their possible contention for the Stanley Cup and not on where their coach may or may not end up next year...but opening a press conference in such a manner speaks clearly to the smoke that is building around the metaphorical fire of Babcock's presumptive departure from Detroit next offseason.
"I coach the Detroit Red Wings a hundred per cent," Babcock said Thursday.
But Babcock also sounds like a coach who hasn't yet reached the apex of his career, a coach still ready for a new challenge.
"I feel I'm young in my coaching career. I want to have a lot more success," Babcock said. "I don't want to feel like I've reached the pinnacle at 51. I don't think that's what life's about."
One team that may pursue Babcock should he and his grandiose plans of future success become free at the end of this season is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They reportedly want him - and want him bad, according to the Globe and Mail.
For Babcock, Detroit is a safe and stable place. Leaving to coach a team like the Leafs would be about ambition - about proving himself, about the limitless risk of turning around hockey's most loved, hated and obsessed-over franchise.
It would be about respect - about his place in history.
He's said he will "probably" re-sign with Detroit. He put a deadline on it - the start of the season. Then he took the deadline off.
But for fans of Detroit, or Toronto, or wherever Babcock winds up in the future, they'll surely rest easy at night knowing they have a coach driven to find success - driven to reach the pinnacle of the sport, again and again.
"I want to be the best coach of my era."
