DETROIT -- Coaches wear out their welcome fairly fast in the NHL, but Mike Babcock’s message has not gotten stale after five seasons behind the Detroit Red Wings bench.

Veteran players continue to respond to his abrasive style. Younger players continue to improve under his demanding ways.

And the team keeps winning.

That is why the Red Wings on Monday signed Babcock to a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2014-15 season.

Success and his ability to evolve are two main reasons Babcock has lasted as long as he has in Detroit.

In his first five seasons, the Red Wings won a Stanley Cup and advanced to the finals the following year. He is the only coach to win 50 or more games in his first four seasons with the same club. His teams have topped the 100-point mark five years in a row, extending the league record to 10 seasons.

“A track record and building a foundation of winning means players don’t question things as much. The media doesn’t question things as much,’’ Babcock said. “They just think, ‘Mike’s coaching the team, it’s going to work.’ "

“When you’re first starting and things don’t go right, it’s ‘What’s the coach doing? He’s a knucklehead.’ That’s the test of time.’’

Babcock, 47, remains the highest-paid coach in the NHL, with a salary approaching $2 million per season in the new deal, which starts next season.

While determining whether it is better to stay in one place for a long time or move on to a fresh situation, Babcock sought advice from the only two coaches who have been with their current clubs longer: Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff (in his 13th season) and Nashville’s Barry Trotz (in his 12th season).

To last in Detroit, he has learned that a coach must continually change.

“Micromanaging is what employees absolutely hate, and yet, what I’ve found is when people don’t do their job, you micromanage them,’’ Babcock said. “But when people do their job, you leave them alone. We have a tendency to leave guys alone here a lot more than I did initially because I know it’s getting looked after.’’

Babcock always has worried that players will stop listening, but frequent roster turnover helps.

“The great thing about the new (salary-cap) system is, there’s a ton of change in players and so it’s not a big a concern as it was at one time,’’ Babcock said. “The other thing I found with your top players is, Nick (Lidstrom) doesn’t need a coach. If everyone was like Nick, there wouldn’t be coaches.’’

Last season was a clear indication to general manager Ken Holland that the players still respond to Babcock. The injury-ravaged team could have folded while battling to make the playoffs but instead went on a 16-3-2 post-Olympic break run.

“When we were taking on water with injuries, Mike’s coaching and accountability and structure were one of the reasons we were able to stay afloat,’’ Holland said.

He called Babcock “the best coach in the business.’’

“He’s a smart coach, he’s learned to adjust in his time here,’’ Holland said. “He’s driven them, but I think he’s learned when he needs to back off and when he needs to push.

“When it gets stale, you worry about it at that point. Right now, it’s not stale.’’

Lidstrom cited Babcock’s preparation as a main reason for his success.

“He makes sure the team is prepared,’’ Lidstrom said. “He pays attention to details. He wants the best out of every player. He stays on top of things.

“He’s been very good for our team.’’

Babcock is 259-101-52 with Detroit and 326-163-85 overall, including two seasons in Anaheim.

He is a lifetime coach with no aspirations to get into management.

“Can’t do the office job from the lake in the summer. That’s where I’m going to be,’’ Babcock said.

“I talk to my wife a lot about maybe being back at the university level, not as a coach, but teaching and going back to school. But right now, I love my job, I’m energized to do it and fortunate to do it.’’