You know what happens to guys? There's what I call the individual time of their career, and the team time of their career. This is the team time. You don't care about all the other stuff. You just want to live in one place, and watch your kids grow up and go to the same school. You say, 'Hey, maybe I'd better play well and be a good enough guy that they keep me.'
Mike BabcockWhen I come to the rink each day, in my heart and my mind, I'm going to expect to win, because that's the way I think. It's going to be way different than it has in the past for me, in some ways, coming here.
Mike BabcockI still talk to my mom every day and she passed away when I was 28. And I still talk to my dad. The reality is that they're with you forever; the bond continues and they're there to help you and guide you. The best coaches I ever had, the best teachers, my parents, they all made it safe for me, not by being warm and fuzzy all the time, but by loving me so much, they were willing to make me better.
Mike BabcockYou know what happens to guys? There's what I call the individual time of their career, and the team time of their career. This is the team time. You don't care about all the other stuff. You just want to live in one place, and watch your kids grow up and go to the same school. You say, 'Hey, maybe I'd better play well and be a good enough guy that they keep me.'
Mike BabcockThe main thing is to race over to McDonald's to get an egg McMuffin before they shut down for the morning.
Mike BabcockI think being honest with one another creates an environment that's comfortable. You want to know where you stand, whether you're doing a good job. The players know what's going on before you do. They're trying to see if you're going to do something about it. And when it's not like that, everybody is pissed off, because they know that people can get away with stuff and that nobody is keeping them in line. That's not a team to me.
Mike Babcock