The Owen Sound Attack occupied the first few rows of seats behind the Detroit Red Wings bench at Joe Louis Arena last week.
Selected members of the NHL Red Wings, including Pavel Datsyuk, were on the ice doing some light work, preparing to meet the Boston Bruins later that night.
Out of the Red Wing tunnel popped coach Mike Babcock who had agreed to say a few words to the Attack as a group.
Before he started, Mike Babcock asked ‘ where’s our guy ? ‘, referring to Red Wings draft pick Zach Nastasiuk.
Nastasiuk, the Attack captain smiled and raised his hand.
Babcock then asked the group, ‘ you know how I know that guy ? ‘
I fully expected any number of hockey related, effort related or character related remarks from Coach Babcock.
Instead, he answered his own query and related that he knew Zach Nastasiuk, simply because Babcock’s son was at the same Red Wings development camp last summer. The same one Nastasiuk attended.
That’s it.
The point was, and is, that in the National Hockey League, as far as Mike Babcock and many others like him are concerned, unless you’re capable of getting there and staying there, you’re of little interest.
There’s only so many jobs available and unless you’ve got the stuff to grab and keep one of those jobs, pro hockey cares about little else.
It was a direct message from Mike Babcock and a good one, ‘ play your hardest-do your best ‘ and maybe, just maybe, the message inspired the Attack that night as they beat the Whalers in Plymouth
I’m Fred Wallace