EDMONTON

He may not have a goal or any assists this season, but likely the most sought after free agent this summer is a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

Head coach Mike Babcock is in the last year of his contract in Detroit and speculation is swirling he could be set to become the highest paid coach in the history of the NHL next season.

And with the Toronto Maple Leafs firing head coach Randy Carlyle on Tuesday, talk of Babcock heading to Ontario next year is bound to intensify.

“I’ve known Randy for a real long time, he’s a good NHL coach, he’s done a real good job,” Babcock said prior to facing the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. “There are not many guys who have played as many games as he has in the National Hockey League, won a Norris Trophy, won a Stanley Cup and go through what he’s gone through. He’s a good coach.”

Babcock, 51, has been behind the Wings’ bench for the past 10 seasons. He won a Stanley Cup in 2008 and lost in the final to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins the following year.

He’s never missed the playoffs during his tenure in Detroit and has the Red Wings in the thick of the race atop the Eastern Conference standing this season. Babcock has never been fired from an NHL job and credits good players and good general managers for his longevity.

“I’ve been real lucky, I worked with Bryan Murray (Anaheim Ducks) who’s a real good man, then I worked for Ken Holland who is a real good man in the National Hockey League,” Babcock said. “I got fired in Moose Jaw when I was a young coach and it’s a blow to your ego when it happens, for sure. You just think you can get the job done and you just do the best you can.”

Babcock began his coaching career at Red Deer College in 1988, then moved to the Moose Jaw Warriors in 1991.

He was let go after two seasons behind the bench and was hired by the University of Lethbridge, where he led the team to a national championship in 1994.

“What was a blow for me there (Moose Jaw) it was in the middle of summer, I was young coach, I’d been in Moose Jaw two years I wasn’t making any money,” Babcock said. “My wife had just had a baby, she was on maternity leave and so I needed a job. I was fortunate to get the job at the University of Lethbridge, we had a good team and we won and went from there.”

Babcock returned to the WHL following his championship season in Lethbridge, coaching the Spokane Chiefs for six seasons.

Two years in the American Hockey League with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks prepared Babcock for his first NHL stint in Anaheim. He went to the Stanley Cup final with Anaheim before missing the playoffs the following year for the only time in his NHL career.

Babcock left Anaheim following the 2004-05 lockout for Detroit, where he’s now regarded as one of the best coaches in the league.

“During the lockout Bryan Murray went to Ottawa and when Brian Burke took over he gave me a one-year deal and offered me 10 days to look around,” Babcock said. “So the one-year deal, I thought I would be fired in November. I didn’t think I was his guy, I didn’t think that was the right situation, so when they gave me the opportunity to look around, I was fortunate to have some options.”

Along with his Stanley Cup championship, Babcock has won back-to-back Olympic gold medals with Team Canada.

Unless he re-signs with the Red Wings, speculation on Babcock’s future will persist heading into the off-season. ​

“It doesn’t affect anything I do, we have a game here to play, I’m real happy where I’m at,” Babcock said. “We’ve talked about this lots, it doesn’t affect anything I do.”

derek.vandiest@sunmedia.ca

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