Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Is Mike Babcock Making The Wrong Decisions?

02/17/2014 at 9:04am EST

from Jack Todd at Canada.com,

1) Why was P.K. Subban not out there?

2) And why, given the way both performed through the first two games of this tournament, was Chris Kunitz dressed while Martin St. Louis was not?

Babcock seems to fly by his pre-conceived notions. From the beginning, we’ve had the sense he didn’t want Subban on this team and nothing that has happened in Sochi has changed that perception.

But if Babcock doesn’t learn a little flexibility, he’s going to sink this ship. Babcock will go down with his jaw thrust out, motivational clichés dripping off him like rain from a leaky roof, his D-men locked into lefty-righty, players restricted to 34-second shifts — and Subban and St. Louis watching in street clothes.

One of Babcock’s preconceptions is that Pernell Karl is too high-risk. Another is that St. Louis is — well, we can’t imagine what he has against St. Louis, but if Babcock can point out any way in which Kunitz is a better player than the diminutive leader of the Lightning, we’d like to know what it is.

We all make mistakes. I didn’t think Jeff Carter belonged on this team. I could not have been more wrong. Carter has the wheels to go with his size and the play he made Sunday, flying up the middle to set up Doughty for the winner, was absolutely world-class. Thing is, my mistakes won’t affect Team Canada. Babcock’s will.

read on

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