PITTSBURGH — He has dark, wavy red hair, eyes as black as Pennsylvania coal, and a glare that’s as fierce and intense as a bald eagle’s.
Mike Babcock’s usual facial expression might be a perma-scowl, but beneath the glare and jutted jaw, the coach of the Detroit Red Wings is a softie for the underdogs of life. He devotes much of his spare time to children fighting cancer. He likes to surprise those not so well off with round-trip airfare and tickets to games, often out of his pocket.
Babcock is the first to lend a hand to those who need it, and the first to harshly rebuke those who don’t use the good hands they’re dealt.
“One thing he really doesn’t like is excuses,” veteran Detroit forward Kirk Maltby said. “He doesn’t want to hear them. All he asks of you is to give it your all. And if he thinks you’re not doing that, well, there’s going to be problems.”
For the third time in his relatively young NHL coaching career, Babcock will try to win his first Stanley Cup tonight when his Red Wings take on the Penguins tonight in Pittsburgh in Game 6 of the Finals. Babcock’s first team, the formerly named Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, lost a Game 7 to New Jersey in 2003. The Red Wings lost a chance to clinch the Cup on home ice in Monday’s Game 5, a triple-overtime thriller in which the Penguins tied the score in the final minute of regulation.
Babcock’s suffer-no-fools persona is often on display with the media. While he usually is courteous and thoughtful in his interviews, the Babcock glare comes fast when he thinks a reporter hasn’t done his homework.
“I never said that. That’s your statement, not mine,” Babcock growled at a reporter earlier in the series, when it was suggested he believed different players on the Red Wings required different treatment.
Although he may not look the part, Babcock tries to maintain a sunny disposition about life. He’s no Zen master a la Phil Jackson, but Babcock maintained his perspective after losing a game in which he was 35 seconds away from hoisting the Cup.
“Disappointment? I think the disappointment phase ends about 15 minutes when you’re out of the room,” Babcock said. “For me it was when I got home, talked to my wife for a second, she was disappointed, too. Like I said, when you get up in the morning, the sun gets up and so do we, and we’re up 3-2, let’s play.
“I said this (Monday) night, and I’ll say it again: I’m a real big believer, if you do good things, good things happen. Just keep doing them.”
Gonchar probable.
The Penguins expect to have valuable defenseman Sergei Gonchar tonight, coach Michel Therrien said. Gonchar, who returned to assist on the game-winning power-play goal Monday night, missed much of the game with an undisclosed injury after slamming headfirst into the boards.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
