Mike-Babcock-5-31-13.jpg

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock understands why Steve Yzerman couldn't be in Detroit last week.

(Ansar Khan | MLive.com)

DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock apparently isn't a fan of sports talk radio.

And he also can't understand why Steve Yzerman is getting criticized for skipping last week's ceremony to retire Nicklas Lidstrom's No. 5.

Babcock defended Yzerman Monday when asked what his thoughts were about Yzerman getting blasted by many callers on sports talk radio for not showing up when the Red Wings hoisted Lidstrom's number to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena.

"Well, I think there's a number of different questions," said Babcock, whose first season as the Red Wings coach was 2005-06, the final season of Yzerman's brilliant 22-year career.

"They can be mad if they want.

"Steve Yzerman, No. 1, is as sincere as they come and as incredible as they come. He wanted to be here but he's the general manager in Tampa.

They just had a number of things going on with changing players. He has an obligation to the people he works for more than he does to the rest of us at that time. We understand totally.

"But I don't know how many people are really questioning it. Are the media questioning it or the fans questioning it?"

When told it was sports talk radio callers, Babcock subtly let on how much he cares for that genre of media.

"There you go," he said. "Don't call in. I think they're missing the boat. I think talk radio is about stirring up though isn't it? I've only listened to talk radio when we were locked out last year. I listened to talk radio since the first time I've been in Detroit, first time ever and I couldn't believe it.

"So what I do? I listen to 99.5 because they don't talk about the Red Wings. It's country music, they don't talk about the Red Wings. So whatever."

Yzerman, now general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, had originally planned to attend the ceremony for Lidstrom, who was his teammate for 15 years in Detroit.

But he canceled after trading disgruntled Tampa Bay captain Martin St. Louis, one of the most popular players in Lightning history, to the New York Rangers in a blockbuster deal shortly before Wednesday's trade deadline.

The Lightning received Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, a 2015 first-round draft pick and a conditional second-round pick this year.

Yzerman remained in Tampa to brief the media about the deal and to be on hand for Callahan's Lightning debut in Thursday night's 1-0 home loss to Buffalo.