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…The thirst for knowledge is in [Mike] Babcock’s DNA, a driving force in his life since even before he captained the McGill Redmen in the mid-1980s. He wore his McGill tie Tuesday night at a Montreal cocktail reception of the university’s alumni association, at which he spoke, and he’ll wear one behind the bench against the Canadiens. Famously, a McGill tie was knotted around Babcock’s neck when he led Team Canada to a stirring triumph in the gold-medal game of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Babcock arrived in town Tuesday to learn his alma mater had moved atop university hockey’s national ranking.