You can respect Babcock’s résumé.
Stanley Cup. Olympic gold. Hundreds of wins.
But hockey has changed.
Leadership isn’t about fear anymore.
The Oilers need a coach players want to play for, not one they have to recover from. #LetsGoOilers
The Oilers hiring Mike Babcock would be a massive mistake.
This isn’t about systems or X’s and O’s.
It’s about a long trail of former players describing humiliation, manipulation, and psychological bullying. 🧵👇
In 2023, Babcock resigned from the Blue Jackets before coaching a game after controversy surrounding requests to view players’ personal phone photos.
Now, reports say the NHLPA wants an investigation before Edmonton moves forward.
Frank Corrado described his treatment under Babcock as “cruel.”
Multiple former players have spoken about anxiety, humiliation, and losing confidence while playing for him.
Mitch Marner was reportedly asked to rank teammates by work ethic as a rookie.
Babcock then shared the list with the team.
Veterans were furious that a 19-year-old was put in that position.
Winning doesn't excuse everything.
If the Oilers hire Babcock, they're telling fans and players that a coaching résumé matters more than the culture they spent years building. Cup window is too important to gamble on a coach who comes with this much baggage.
Agree or disagree?
@jsbmbaggedmilk Well said - hearing Oilers Players are already saying if Babcock is hired they will be looking at other options. Desperation is not a good look. We hire every Free Agent with a bad rep. Kassian, Kane, Bowman, Eakins, etc.
With essentially a one-year McDavid window, the Oilers hiring a guy who hasn't coached an NHL game in 7 years and got fired from his last job before even stepping behind the bench would legitimately be one of the most insane management decisions of all time