Babcock not getting into war with Wings

Toronto head coach makes return to Detroit

Mike Babcock refused to get in a war of words Thursday when it was mentioned that his former boss, Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, had thrown down a friendly gauntlet for the Maple Leafs head coach on his return to Detroit.

Holland, whose team hosts the Leafs in the first of back-to-back exhibition games Friday, said recently that the Wings want to kick Babcock’s behind. But Babcock, who remains close to Holland after a decade together in Detroit, refused to be baited. He knows he has a learning, rebuilding group.

“(Holland) might have the upper hand in the short period but we’ll see over time,” Babcock said as the Leafs finished up two practice sessions at the MasterCard Centre on Thursday.

“Kenny Holland is a great, great man and I’m real lucky. I worked for Bryan Murray first (in Anaheim), he’s a good friend of mine. Ken Holland’s a good friend of mine and I’m happy that Lou’s (Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello) here and I get to work with Lou. I learned a lot from Blash (new Detroit coach Jeff Blashill) and I’m sure him from me. But I’m the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs and I’m proud of that. We’ve got lots of work to do as you can see. And we’re going to do it.”

Babcock’s first group on the ice Thursday should shape up as the roster that will open the season next week against Montreal. The second group, full of prospects and some experienced, depth type players, should populate what could be a very good Marlies roster.

The return to Detroit will be Babcock’s first in his new colours. He won a Stanley Cup with the Wings, and two gold medals with Canada, while establishing himself as one of the game’s most successful coaches.

The official return will come Oct. 10, when Toronto visits Detroit for its second game of the regular season. That should present a full range of emotions for Babcock, who was grateful and emotional when he left Detroit, taking out a fullpage advertisement in a local newspaper to thank Red Wings fans.

Blashill, his replacement, was Babcock’s assistant in 2011 before taking over the Red Wings’ AHL team in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he won two coach of the year awards and a Calder Cup.

“I hired him from Western Michigan,” Babcock said.

“He’s a good, good man; he’s a good, good coach. Blash was going to coach in the NHL whether I stayed (as) the Red Wings’ coach or not. Someone else was going to give him an opportunity.”

Babcock has been busy repeating drills and lessons to his veteran group as he prepares them for the opening of the season next Wednesday.

It is a longer process than expected, largely because the coach said he has to first show the players where they need to be on the ice, then teach them what he wants out of them once they get the positioning down.

For now, that group appears to be the one that took the ice first Thursday, and shaped up as follows:

Forwards: Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak, James van Riemsdyk, Shawn Matthias, Brad Boyes, Nick Spaling, Dan Winnik, Mark Arcobello, Richard Panik, P.A. Parenteau, Peter Holland, Leo Komarov, and Michael Grabner.

Defence: Dion Phaneuf, Matt Hunwick, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Roman Polak, Stephane Robidas, Martin Marincin, and Scott Harrington.

Goalies: Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer.