Article: Wilderness Walk: Wild Training Camp Opens Today

[Thomas Williams]

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[Up North Guy]

Glad to see that players finally are standing up to jerks like Babcock. He had talented teams and that made his career. He was a decent game day coach according to the article but a worthless piece of crap as a human being otherwise. Sports in general have had enough of people like that.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

Glad to see that players finally are standing up to jerks like Babcock. He had talented teams and that made his career. He was a decent game day coach according to the article but a worthless piece of crap as a human being otherwise. Sports in general have had enough of people like that.

I'd like to take this in a little different direction. The intentions of this take are not political, and please don't take it that way. This is cultural and at the end I'll tie it in.

I know I'm getting old, I'm just starting my 6th decade on the planet. I like listening to 70s on 7 and 80s on 8. I like straight news, good or bad, not opinions dressed up like factual news. I don't care about sugar coating topics so that people don't get their feelings hurt. I believe in hard hitting hockey, and if you're not using the body, you're not playing a complete game. I also believe in scoring....a lot. 

Why do I mention this? I don't like some of today's music, a lot of fashion presentation, that young people cannot find decent housing to purchase, the film industries constant regurgitation of shows/movies and lack of creativity. I also don't like the utter lack of respect found in today's younger generation. This isn't complaining, it's simply what I do and don't like.

This, is a cultural/generational divide. It probably makes me unfit to coach a bunch of young 20 somethings, since I really don't care for or understand their culture. Deano is not far away from my age. He has changed the Wild culture, and has had overachieving teams since he's been head coach. But, times have changed....dramatically. The cares of today's 20 somethings does not even look familiar to me.

I think this is where we are with Babcock too. UNG is absolutely correct about everything above, except, that style of coaching back in the '90s and early '00s was ok. He had demands, and in this case it had to do with cell phones. In his era, this would be seen as focusing completely on the game and all attention came to him.  Nobody was multitasking or even taking notes on the phone. They had pen and paper and notebooks. 

The game didn't necessarily pass Babcock by, nor Evason by, the younger culture did. I'm not arguing that Babcock should be exonerated for what he's done in the past, but many of those things would have been perfectly alright in another era and never come out publicly. I am saying that there is an expiration date on most people being able to fully get their message across. Of course, some things are timeless, like looking at rings, but many other things and methods are not. What worked before may not work now, and many will not even buy in to the previous methods.

While Evason is entering the hot seat years of his contract, is he getting too old to relate to the incoming cavalry? Is the pecking order of vets over younger players still relevant? Does grit first still work? Would a far younger coach be a better fit for taking this group of guys through the marathon season, and then through the playoffs?

I look at guys like Sheldon Keefe and Martin St. Louis and see their success and just have to wonder if one of Guerin's former teammates might not make the best coach for this team? Someone who is maybe closer to 40 than 60. 

 

[vonlonster67]

16 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'd like to take this in a little different direction. The intentions of this take are not political, and please don't take it that way. This is cultural and at the end I'll tie it in.

I know I'm getting old, I'm just starting my 6th decade on the planet. I like listening to 70s on 7 and 80s on 8. I like straight news, good or bad, not opinions dressed up like factual news. I don't care about sugar coating topics so that people don't get their feelings hurt. I believe in hard hitting hockey, and if you're not using the body, you're not playing a complete game. I also believe in scoring....a lot. 

Why do I mention this? I don't like some of today's music, a lot of fashion presentation, that young people cannot find decent housing to purchase, the film industries constant regurgitation of shows/movies and lack of creativity. I also don't like the utter lack of respect found in today's younger generation. This isn't complaining, it's simply what I do and don't like.

This, is a cultural/generational divide. It probably makes me unfit to coach a bunch of young 20 somethings, since I really don't care for or understand their culture. Deano is not far away from my age. He has changed the Wild culture, and has had overachieving teams since he's been head coach. But, times have changed....dramatically. The cares of today's 20 somethings does not even look familiar to me.

I think this is where we are with Babcock too. UNG is absolutely correct about everything above, except, that style of coaching back in the '90s and early '00s was ok. He had demands, and in this case it had to do with cell phones. In his era, this would be seen as focusing completely on the game and all attention came to him.  Nobody was multitasking or even taking notes on the phone. They had pen and paper and notebooks. 

The game didn't necessarily pass Babcock by, nor Evason by, the younger culture did. I'm not arguing that Babcock should be exonerated for what he's done in the past, but many of those things would have been perfectly alright in another era and never come out publicly. I am saying that there is an expiration date on most people being able to fully get their message across. Of course, some things are timeless, like looking at rings, but many other things and methods are not. What worked before may not work now, and many will not even buy in to the previous methods.

While Evason is entering the hot seat years of his contract, is he getting too old to relate to the incoming cavalry? Is the pecking order of vets over younger players still relevant? Does grit first still work? Would a far younger coach be a better fit for taking this group of guys through the marathon season, and then through the playoffs?

I look at guys like Sheldon Keefe and Martin St. Louis and see their success and just have to wonder if one of Guerin's former teammates might not make the best coach for this team? Someone who is maybe closer to 40 than 60. 

 

Yes, Yes, and Yes

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

I'd like to take this in a little different direction. The intentions of this take are not political, and please don't take it that way. This is cultural and at the end I'll tie it in.

I know I'm getting old, I'm just starting my 6th decade on the planet. I like listening to 70s on 7 and 80s on 8. I like straight news, good or bad, not opinions dressed up like factual news. I don't care about sugar coating topics so that people don't get their feelings hurt. I believe in hard hitting hockey, and if you're not using the body, you're not playing a complete game. I also believe in scoring....a lot. 

Why do I mention this? I don't like some of today's music, a lot of fashion presentation, that young people cannot find decent housing to purchase, the film industries constant regurgitation of shows/movies and lack of creativity. I also don't like the utter lack of respect found in today's younger generation. This isn't complaining, it's simply what I do and don't like.

This, is a cultural/generational divide. It probably makes me unfit to coach a bunch of young 20 somethings, since I really don't care for or understand their culture. Deano is not far away from my age. He has changed the Wild culture, and has had overachieving teams since he's been head coach. But, times have changed....dramatically. The cares of today's 20 somethings does not even look familiar to me.

I think this is where we are with Babcock too. UNG is absolutely correct about everything above, except, that style of coaching back in the '90s and early '00s was ok. He had demands, and in this case it had to do with cell phones. In his era, this would be seen as focusing completely on the game and all attention came to him.  Nobody was multitasking or even taking notes on the phone. They had pen and paper and notebooks. 

The game didn't necessarily pass Babcock by, nor Evason by, the younger culture did. I'm not arguing that Babcock should be exonerated for what he's done in the past, but many of those things would have been perfectly alright in another era and never come out publicly. I am saying that there is an expiration date on most people being able to fully get their message across. Of course, some things are timeless, like looking at rings, but many other things and methods are not. What worked before may not work now, and many will not even buy in to the previous methods.

While Evason is entering the hot seat years of his contract, is he getting too old to relate to the incoming cavalry? Is the pecking order of vets over younger players still relevant? Does grit first still work? Would a far younger coach be a better fit for taking this group of guys through the marathon season, and then through the playoffs?

I look at guys like Sheldon Keefe and Martin St. Louis and see their success and just have to wonder if one of Guerin's former teammates might not make the best coach for this team? Someone who is maybe closer to 40 than 60. 

 

i am even older than you. I agree with your premise that things were done in the past that were acceptable (or even expected) that would not pass today. That does not mean it was right back then to do what he did. I can see telling the young guys to put their cell phones away. I would expect that. Turning over cell phones for examination? Nope. But the article also talked about how much of a a__hole he was to players who weren't his besties. Hide is an old prick that needed to stay on the scrapheap.