Confirmed with Link: Valtteri Filppula sign in Swiss League (Genève-Servette)

[Hinterland]

Title is incorrect. Servette is playing National League. Swiss League is the 2nd tier league.

 

[SantosHalper]

Congrats Valtteri! Brand new Swiss champion!

First player to win Stanley cup, Olympic gold, World championship and Swiss championship.

46 games and 51 points during the regular season, 17 games and 12 points in playoffs

 

[gritdash60]

Copypaste from CBJ forums where i originally posted this on the thread they have about hiring Babcock, someone might be interested, if not sorry for bumping an old topic:

I just today listened to a bit over year old Finnish podcast with Valtteri Filppula. Couple things he had to say about Babcock:
He was asked about if he is a dick, the answer was "Well he is very demanding", but on ice he had no problems with him. Probably wouldn't hang out with him off the ice though.

Said he is the best coach he has ever had for preparation for matches; "We always knew what the opponent would do, and what we need to do to be better than them."

He was always tough on younger players, but respected veterans a lot. One funny story about the 07-08 season was that Chris Chelios was actually older than Babcock (have not checked if this is true but this is what he said). And Chelios liked to "protect" younger players in practice. Once when they were starting a drill Chelios said "Let me go first, i will completely f*** up the drill, check out Babcock's reaction when i do" And when he did, Babcock turned all red in the face but did not yell at him, but blew the whistle and said "Let's try again, someone else go first this time."

Edit: Completely useless information, but thats what a former player for Babcock had to say.
Oh yes one more thing, he told Filppula "You need to prove on every shift that you belong on the ice, if i think even once you are a liability you will get your next chance on the next game." And Filppula said he felt that was fair given his current position and the players who were above him on the lineup.

 

[gritdash60]

One more thing for people who live in Detroit, after the Lehman brothers and others financial crisis in 2008, Valtteri said this: "In the downtown we were instructed that if you are driving into red lights or stop sings, dont stop, just go slow and go through it." "On my 2nd trip in Detroit it was nothing like that, we just walked around and went to restaurants etc. It was completely different."

I know this is a millionaire athletes point of view, and team tries to protect their assets so it could be way out of proportion, but thats what he said. This is not me saying it so please don't shoot the messenger.

"If i had to get fuel when i left the arena, i tried to get out of the downtown with what i got back then."

 

[Detroit Knights]

Copypaste from CBJ forums where i originally posted this on the thread they have about hiring Babcock, someone might be interested, if not sorry for bumping an old topic:

I just today listened to a bit over year old Finnish podcast with Valtteri Filppula. Couple things he had to say about Babcock:
He was asked about if he is a dick, the answer was "Well he is very demanding", but on ice he had no problems with him. Probably wouldn't hang out with him off the ice though.

Said he is the best coach he has ever had for preparation for matches; "We always knew what the opponent would do, and what we need to do to be better than them."

He was always tough on younger players, but respected veterans a lot. One funny story about the 07-08 season was that Chris Chelios was actually older than Babcock (have not checked if this is true but this is what he said). And Chelios liked to "protect" younger players in practice. Once when they were starting a drill Chelios said "Let me go first, i will completely f*** up the drill, check out Babcock's reaction when i do" And when he did, Babcock turned all red in the face but did not yell at him, but blew the whistle and said "Let's try again, someone else go first this time."

Edit: Completely useless information, but thats what a former player for Babcock had to say.
Oh yes one more thing, he told Filppula "You need to prove on every shift that you belong on the ice, if i think even once you are a liability you will get your next chance on the next game." And Filppula said he felt that was fair given his current position and the players who were above him on the lineup.

In regards to babcock, I won't defend some of the BS that he has done like with Marner for example, but it seems like he was a dick for a reason. It was to get the absolute best out of you and you knew that if you didn't do your best, he would be all over you.

Belichick is the exact same way. He made it a point to go after Brady in film sessions to prove that no one was above it. He made sure everyone was prepared for every possibility and was a hard-as*.

Again, not defending some of the stories like Commie and Marner, would never think of doing that, but every single player, regardless of how much they hated him, knew that he put you in a position to succeed and expected greatness.

Jordan, Kobe, Brady, they all did that too, especially in practices. Some of the stories that Jordan would do to his teammates are crazy, but there is always a reason for it. To get the best out of you or send you packing because you can't handle.

 

[norrisnick]

In regards to babcock, I won't defend some of the BS that he has done like with Marner for example, but it seems like he was a dick for a reason. It was to get the absolute best out of you and you knew that if you didn't do your best, he would be all over you.

Belichick is the exact same way. He made it a point to go after Brady in film sessions to prove that no one was above it. He made sure everyone was prepared for every possibility and was a hard-as*.

Again, not defending some of the stories like Commie and Marner, would never think of doing that, but every single player, regardless of how much they hated him, knew that he put you in a position to succeed and expected greatness.

Jordan, Kobe, Brady, they all did that too, especially in practices. Some of the stories that Jordan would do to his teammates are crazy, but there is always a reason for it. To get the best out of you or send you packing because you can't handle.

Abusers have reasons too. They want you to behave a certain way. The ends don't justify the means. Successful assholes are still assholes.

 

[sepster]

In regards to babcock, I won't defend some of the BS that he has done like with Marner for example, but it seems like he was a dick for a reason. It was to get the absolute best out of you and you knew that if you didn't do your best, he would be all over you.

Belichick is the exact same way. He made it a point to go after Brady in film sessions to prove that no one was above it. He made sure everyone was prepared for every possibility and was a hard-as*.

Again, not defending some of the stories like Commie and Marner, would never think of doing that, but every single player, regardless of how much they hated him, knew that he put you in a position to succeed and expected greatness.

Jordan, Kobe, Brady, they all did that too, especially in practices. Some of the stories that Jordan would do to his teammates are crazy, but there is always a reason for it. To get the best out of you or send you packing because you can't handle.

If it were just the players that he treated like dirt to "motivate" them, then I could consider Babcock was doing what he thought best. However, I know several people that worked at Joe Louis Arena and for the Red Wings and everyone of them says Babcock was just a flat-out dick. Full stop. He treated everyone like dirt, from the arena security, to the trainers, all the way up and down the organization.

Babcock deserve every once of criticism and scorn that comes his way, and justifiably, should be black-balled from the league.