Is Firing Mike Babcock an Option for the Detroit Red Wings?

I can think of few jobs in the world that are truly, undeniably, unequivocally safe.

At even the highest levels of power, one's position is seldom immune from removal or termination.

World history and the recent economic crisis has show us that, be you a king or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, if you screw up bad enough, you may literally or figuratively lose your head.

Coaching changes in the NHL have become anything but rare.

In fact, they've become a popular last ditch panacea for curing the ills of a team.

Over the past 10 years, no team has been more successful than the Detroit Red Wings and no coach more capable of taking his team to a championship than Mike Babcock.

As we begin to close the book on that decade, it looks as if these twin stories of unbridled excellence may too, be coming to an end.

The Red Wings have not missed the playoffs in 18 years.

If they continue at their current pace, they'll finish somewhere between ninth and 12th in the West.

Since coming to Detroit, Mike Babcock has never finished with less than 50 wins.

This season, cracking the 40 win mark is far from certain.

Look, firing a coach in-season hasn't been done in Detroit in decades.

This just isn't how this organization operates.

However, consistently losing isn't something this team is accustomed to either.

Many teams fire their coach for the wrong reasons.  Were they able, they'd rather fire the team and start over.  But since this isn't an option, axing the bench boss is at least an attempt at change.

For example, last year, Tampa Bay fired head coach Barry Melrose (a curious choice to begin with) after just 15 games.

The thinking there was that he just wasn't getting through to the team and, by bringing in new coach Rick Tocchet, they'd turn their season around and make a run in the playoffs.

They didn't.

Tampa Bay's problems may have been somewhat compounded by a coach 16 years removed from his last coaching gig.  But, bad goal-tending, inconsistent offense and the loss of players like Dan Boyle is what doomed their season, not Barry Melrose.

On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins fired head coach Michel Therrien last year after an abysmal start that saw them go from Stanley Cup finalists to 10th place bust-out in a matter of months.

They replaced him with rookie head coach Dan Bylsma and the team never looked back, making it all the way back to the Stanley Cup finals before winning in seven games against the Red Wings.

Clearly, there are times when changing your head coach is just what the team needs.

It's hard to know if this applies at all in Detroit.

Mike Babcock's record speaks for itself.  However, he's hardly known as a "player's coach."

Much like former Detroit coach Scotty Bowman, Babcock makes no apologies for the way he runs his team. 

Babcock will do whatever he sees fit in order to win, be it benching talent, scratching veterans, or publicly criticizing his players.

Former Red Wings such as Robert Lang, Mark Mowers, and even Brendan Shanahan have expressed their, shall we say, "lack of appreciation" for Babcock's style.

Even Steve Yzerman, who ended his playing career under Babcock's watch, has acknowledged that Babcock isn't exactly endearing as a coach.

Yet, his success is undeniable.  Until now.

True, Detroit's multitude of injuries cannot be ignored when considering their record.

Missing five regulars for extended periods of time and several others for short stints makes winning games consistently a tough task.

But, watching the games Detroit has played and lost, one could hardly say they played their best, but just couldn't overcome their lack of talent.

Detroit isn't losing games because Johan Franzen or Valtteri Filppula aren't on the ice.

They're losing games because they come out flat, continue unfocused and finish uninspired.

This is a trend that is often attributed to a lack of effectiveness behind the bench.  Could it be that Babcock's style has simply worn too thin to be effective?

Understand, I am not advocating for Babcock's removal and don't think he's the problem in Detroit.

However, Detroit is well into uncharted territory this season, closing in on Christmas with a playoff position not only uncertain, but unlikely.

Firing their head coach mid-season would be extremely out of character for the Red Wings organization.

Then again, so is losing.