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February 28, 2010 AP: How did you come up with the idea of the name Babcock’s death stare? I think Red Berenson (Michigan hockey head coach) might win a stare off. KK: The name really comes from how hilariously intense Mike Babcock is on Detroit's bench. It just became a running joke with my roommates and friends make up stories about why he looks so angry all the time. It's almost one every game that he'll get on camera and he's just trying to stare the life out of someone. I was just running through different little names, most relating to something to do with a current Red Wing, and that one seemed to get the best feedback. When I had my banner designed, I knew I made the right choice. AP: I know you did this as an outlet for all your pent up hockey emotions. But why a blog? How did you get the idea that the blog was the way to go? KK: It was probably because I started reading a lot of blogs for up-to-date news and reactions to different things the Wings were doing. Somewhere along those lines, I determined that was something I would want to try. I love writing, but I wasn't sure about becoming a Journalism major. What I do is hardly a substitute for journalism or anything close to it, but it's kind of a new area and I wanted to see where I could go with it. I started out writing really infrequently, just kind of dumping all my thoughts out every few weeks, but after a while I figured out that the more you write, the more people will actually stick around and read you. I've had some really unique and interesting opportunities pop up in the past few months that I never dreamed I'd ever be able to do with a blog, so I'm pretty happy with my decision. AP: Hockey is definitely the little brother of the three other sports we considering major sports. There is a legitimate debate about whether or not there are four or three major sports. Make the case for hockey. Why does it belong? KK: I don't know where to even start this one. I've liked hockey since before I can remember. My feelings are that enough people don't give hockey a chance. Most complaints seem to be about either the game being too slow, or the puck being too hard to track -- two really conflicting thoughts there. I've found that, without fail, if you watch a handful of hockey games in a two week span, you will have no trouble following the puck. I really do think that after the lockout, the game became a lot faster, put a bigger emphasis on the skill (without eliminating the physical element), and really did establish that "parity" buzzword. This year, with roughly 25-30 games left, only three teams are truly out of the playoff picture, where in other years there were barely 16 solid teams to fill out the playoffs. It's going to make for a great dash to the finish, and an even more exciting playoffs. AP: Blogs are becoming part of the daily reading routine for many people, while newspapers are dying. Do you think there is a direct causation there? And what are the effects do you think for sports journalism? KK: I think blogs are part of the reason, but not as much as the current economic state. I do not believe that blogs are a substitute for journalism -- anyone can blog and develop a following if what they say is interesting enough (whether or not it's even accurate). When you consider that most all bloggers get their news from team beat writers, like the Free Press or Detroit News, you really start to wonder where they'd even be if those papers started to really start going under. I think, while some sports journalists already have, more need to start providing additional web content and make themselves more accessible. I've found that, even though I'm nothing more than a fan, people seem to like being able to bounce ideas off me, and like being able to reasonably agree or disagree with me. I see that in a few cities, and I think it's growing, but I think most of Detroit's writers prefer to keep themselves pretty invisible. AP: What do you think of the Wings playoff chances this year? Dare I ask… cup chances? KK: I'm not
concerned at all. No other team in the league would be in a better
position if they were missing the types of guys Detroit had out of the
lineup, based on the roles they fill and what they mean to the Wings.
They're getting healthy now, and with the Olympic break they should have
time to relax and regroup for the stretch run. As for Cup chances, why
not? Marian Hossa was the big off-season loss, but they won the Cup
without him in 2008. I have no doubts this team has the experience to
turn it on in the playoffs, as frustrating as that might be to watch in
the regular season. What I take to heart more than anything else is that
they've really played well against the so called "contending" teams this
year. I don't think Chicago or San Jose (especially San Jose) are
looking forward to Detroit in a potential first round matchup. AP: Has Jimmy Howard finally arrived? KK: Jimmy Howard has arrived. I was a huge fan of his since he was drafted, but he's even surpassed the level of play I thought he could achieve. He is the Wings' MVP up to this point, as he's stolen his fair share of games. He still has some work to do with his puck-handling and rebound control, but the consistency issues he battled in the AHL are pretty much resolved. I really think he deserves a long look to start in the playoffs, regardless of how good everyone thought Chris Osgood was last year. (c) 2010 Novi
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