Former Red Wings Goalie Howard Lambastes Babcock

On the one hand, former Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard had to admit that for the most part, he managed to be escaping the wrath of coach Mike Babcock over the years while the two were together in Detroit.

“I didn’t have a lot of interaction with him, to be honest,” Howard said during an appearance on the Cam And Strick podcast.

Babcock’s deliberate cruelty to his players was playing a role in his departure from coaching positions in Toronto and Columbus. Some of his Detroit players have since come forward to tell stories about Babcock’s mean-spirited moves as bench boss of the Red Wings.

Howard sheepishly admitted that some of those stories were news to him.

“All the stuff that came out publicly, I was kind of like, ‘Whoa. Was I that naive? Was I living in my own little world that much that I didn’t notice what was going on?’” Howard said.

“But then, a lot the stuff that went on was during the game, and I was 90 feet from the bench, standing in the crease. So I had no idea any of that was going on.”

Modano Decision Irked Howard

There were a couple of episodes that he was witness to that stuck in Howard’s craw. At the top of the list was the night against Minnesota late in the 2010-11 season when Babcock made future Hall of Famer Mike Modano a healthy scratch in what would be his farewell appearance against the city where he was launching his career as an NHLer.

That decision also left Modano with 1,499 career NHL games on his resume.

Mike Modano talking about Mike Babcock sitting him for his 1500th game….🍻 @DetroitRedWings @MapleLeafs @camandstrickpod pic.twitter.com/cNWORmS8Wa

— Cam Janssen (@CamJanssen25) March 11, 2021

“We were just all in shock,” Howard remembered. “All of us we’re like, ‘What in the world is going on here right now?’ To this day, I still don’t know why?

“Why would you do that? Why would you bench Cheli (Chris Chelios) in Chicago for the outdoor game (at Wrigley Field)?

“Some of these moves, they made zero sense. Why do that? Probably just to flex his muscles.”

Howard Had His Babcock Moments With Red Wings

Howard didn’t completely slide under Babcock’s radar while in Detroit.

“Every once in a while I’d turn the corner in the morning (into the dressing room) and there he’d be,” Howard said. “And he’d be like, ‘Played some f**king dodgeball last night, eh Howie?’ I’d be like, ‘Yep, couldn’t get hit by it. Sorry Babs.’

“Little comments like that, but it was nothing where it was like, ‘Oh my God, he zinged me so hard I’m not going to be able to get by it.’”

There was one time when the Detroit netminder found himself furious with the treatment he was given by his coach. It was late in the 2009-10 season when the NHL was announcing Howard as a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

His coach was asked about his goalie’s chances of winning. How did Babcock respond? Allow Howard to explain.

“The one time I really got pissed off at him was when I got put up for rookie of the year,” Howard said. “He did a media scrum right in front of me in Phoenix, right before the first round (of the playoffs).

“Right in front of the all the media . . . he was like, ‘My vote’s for (Vancouver defenseman) Tyler Myers.’ I was like, ‘Huh. That’s nice. That’s great. Thanks Mike. Appreciate it.’

“Of course, the media, what to they do? They turn their attention and they come over to me. And I’m like, ‘Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a vote.’”