Red Wings coach Mike Babcock announced at his team’s morning skate retired enforcer/goon Darren McCarty had been signed to a one-day contract for Friday night’s playoff game against the Predators. Babcock denied the signing had anything to do with Shea Weber’s cheap shot on Henrik Zetterberg in the closing moments of Nashville’s opening game 3-2 victory Wednesday, but did wink at reporters as he closed the interview.
Weber was fined only $2,500 and not suspended for checking and slamming Zetterberg’s face into the glass, a lack of justice which infuriated Detroit players and fans. McCarty, perhaps most famous for destroying Claude Lemieux in 1997 in retaliation for a cheap shot by the Avalanche henchman on Kris Draper in the 1996 playoffs, retired from hockey in 2009 and is currently working as an analyst for various media outlets. He promised to at least try and look like he was just on the ice to play before, “[bleeping] up that [bleep]-hole Weber.”
Babcock also said the Wings attempted to sign former Pistons’ Bad Boys Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman but none of them could skate. Laimbeer, however, will be at the arena tonight and promised at least one attempt to clothesline Weber from his seat.
