Steady as he goes

He could have screamed. He could have slammed his stick against the glass. He could have turned red and let loose with a blue streak of profanity.

Mike Babcock did none of the above Monday at GM Place in Vancouver.

Despite a three-game losing streak and three teams ahead of the Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division, the head coach calmly called a centre-ice huddle after every practice drill. With an even temperament and hand gestures to point the way, the man who will guide Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics got his message across without getting cross.

"I'm a big believer of steady on the rudder," said the unflappable Babcock. "When you've earned confidence and had success, you have a chance to be way steadier because you know what you've done. But saying all that, I'm no different than the players. They want to be successful. I want to be successful. When you win, everything is OK. When you don't win, it starts to build up.

"Are there times you cross the line? Yeah, but you hope you keep it to a minimum because it's not the way of the world any more. You've got to treat them good because they compete so hard."

With just one practice before Team Canada opens the Olympic tournament in Vancouver on Feb. 16, Babcock's value will be measured between periods and between games. And in that respect, the 46-year-old Saskatoon native has a leg up because he's won a Stanley Cup and has been in the playoff pressure-cooker in junior, minor and international hockey. Along the way, he learned to handle elite players and high expectations.

"Experience and knowledge are the greatest things to conquer fear," said Babcock, who directed Team Canada to a 2004 world championship. "I'm confident we're going to have a real good team. This is the greatest event ever in your life and to me it's just a home run. You've got to win to hear your anthem and that means it comes on an earned basis. It's going to feel pretty good to hear it."

Perhaps nobody on the Olympic long list knows Babcock better than Wings' grinder Dan Cleary. The Harbour Grace native was among 46 invitees to the summer orientation camp and may play a vital fourth-line role for Canada. So could many others. And what should they expect from Babcock if they crack the 23-man roster in December?

"What you see is what you get and he's got a great pulse for the locker-room," said Cleary.

"He knows when to push and when not to push. I think he's the best coach in the league. It's his work ethic. His staff cares about the little things that go unnoticed and win games."

Babcock knows there will be no time for Olympic pity parties. As pundits ponder how strong season starts by Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Ryan Smyth, Martin St. Louis, James Neal and Steve Stamkos will factor into final roster decisions by Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman, second-guessing by a coaching staff that includes Ken Hitchcock. Lindy Ruff, Jacques Lemaire won't be tolerated.

"There's no time for any bad meetings or any bad practices," stressed Babcock. "You've got to find your game within the team game and we're going to be real straight shooting and tell guys what we need and expect them to do it."

Todd Bertuzzi has had coaches employ the same tactics with him, even at the Olympic level in 2006. There have been mixed results on all fronts, but Bertuzzi sees something special in Babcock, something that might make the difference on the Olympic stage.

"From practice to practice, you've got to come to work and it's not these just-dogging-it practices," said the Wings veteran. "He makes sure not one single guy can get away with anything. I think that's what he's going to bring to the Olympic team."

And while Cleary said Babcock does possess a dry sense of humour to cut tension, Bertuzzi isn't so sure.

"I don't know if any coach has a good sense of humour," said Bertuzzi. "He (Babcock) just comes out and says it. And whether you want to hear it or not, it is what it is. It's the brute reality of the situation and nobody escapes. That's why everybody has to be accountable."

And successful.