Red Wings coach Mike Babcock won't discuss contract during season

Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock is set to enter the season in the final year of his contract with the team, but the coach said he won't negotiate an

Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock is set to enter the season in the final year of his contract with the team, but the coach said he won't negotiate an extension during the season. 

Once the season begins, Babcock said, the coach's attention will be on the team's performance and his contract will not be discussed. 

"We get it done by fall, or I won't bother," Babcock said, via the Detroit Free Press. "I'm not doing it during the season."

A Detroit News report noted that Babcock doesn't want his contract to become a distraction:

“By that time (regular season), it’s hockey,” Babcock said. “It’s about the team. It’s not about Mike Babcock.”

Babcock doesn’t expect any extension until general manager Ken Holland, who also has one year left on his deal, works out his own contract.

“I’m not concerned,” Babcock said. “I’ve always been of the belief that if you do your job, do your job well, people want you.”

Babcock, who will have been the team's head coach for a decade after the 2014-15 season, is currently scheduled to earn $2 million.

The coach has taken the Red Wings to two Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Cup in 2008. He also took the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Final during a previous stint in Anaheim. 

- Josh Sanchez