Whether Blue Jackets fans and players like it or not, Mike Babcock, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is going to be the team's next head coach. Combining the regular season and playoffs, Mike Babcock has won 790 games as an NHL head coach in addition to winning at the international level.
If Mike Babcock doesnt win in Columbus, it might be Jarmo Kekalainens last hire as the teams GM. #CBJ https://t.co/DcOxTVwm1w
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) June 4, 2023
Here are the five best wins of his coaching career.
5. 2003 Western Conference Quarter-Finals Game Four
This came in Babcock's first season as an NHL bench boss when he helped the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the West. Their reward for making the playoffs? A date with the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, a team that included eight Hall of Fame players in addition to Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Curtis Joseph. After winning the first three games of the series by a combined three goals, the Ducks beat Detroit 3-2 in overtime thanks to a goal from Steve Rucchin. After sweeping the Red Wings, Anaheim went on to game seven of the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils. Not bad for a team that had the fifth-worst odds to win the title in the pre-season at +10000.
4. 2016 World Cup of Hockey Final Game Two
Babcock was the coach of a stacked Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and while they were the favorites in the tournament, the games still have to be played. Canada won all four of its games leading into the best-of-three final against Team Europe, a team led by Anze Kopitar, Zdeno Chara, Marian Hossa, Roman Josi, Leon Draisaitl, and Jaroslav Halak. After winning game one, Canada headed into game two with a chance to win it all. But after a first-period goal by Chara, Team Europe looked to force a game three with a 1-0 lead headed into the third period. However, Canada responded, as Patrice Bergeron scored a game-tying power-play goal at 17:07 and Brad Marchand scored a short-handed game-winner at 19:16 to put Canada on top of the hockey world.
3. 2014 Winter Olympics Semi-Finals
Looking to defend their title from the 2010 Winter Olympics, an unbeaten Team Canada faced fellow unbeaten Team USA in the semi-final in 2014. While the Americans scored 20 goals in the four games leading up to the matchup with their northern neighbors, Team Canada shut them out, winning 1-0 on a goal by Jamie Benn at 1:41 of the second period. Canada would go onto beat Sweden 3-0 in the gold medal game and defend their place on the podium.
2. 2010 Winter Olympics Gold Medal Game
Team Canada and Team USA faced off in the gold medal game at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but it wasn't their first matchup of the tournament. One week before the gold medal game, the Americans beat the Canadians 5-3 to win their group, sending Canada to the qualification playoffs. Canada beat Germany 8-2 to advance to the quarter-finals where they beat Russia 7-3 before winning 2-1 against Slovakia in the semi-finals, earning a rematch against their rivals to the south. While Canada led 2-0 after a Corey Perry goal at 7:13 of the second period, the U.S. answered back as Ryan Kesler scored at 12:44 and then Zach Parise scored at 19:35 of the third period, sending the game to overtime in the waning moments of regulation. What happened next is what legendary play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert termed, "The Golden Goal" as Sidney Crosby scored at 7:40 of overtime to give Canada the gold medal.
1. 2008 Stanley Cup Final Game Six
After being ousted by the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Anaheim Ducks in the 2007 Western Conference Final, Babcock and the Red Wings headed into the 2007-08 season with the second-best odds to win the Cup at +700. After going 12-4 through the first three rounds, Detroit faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final. The Red Wings took a 3-1 series lead, but lost game five on home ice in a triple overtime thriller and headed back to Pittsburgh for game six. Despite a power-play goal from Marian Hossa at 18:33 of the third to cut the Detroit lead to one, the Red Wings held on to the lead and won the Stanley Cup.
Babcock-coached teams, no matter how talented they were, showed up when the lights were brightest on multiple occasions. Many NHL and national teams have the talent to win it all, but at the end of the day, only one team ends the season victorious.
The Blue Jackets hope Babcock can take them to places they've never gone before as a franchise. Hopefully for them, a Blue Jackets win will crack this list in the future.
