Bab-walked: Why Blue Jackets’ coach Mike Babcock resigned from his post.
By Zach Payne, Sports Contributor
On July 1, 2023, the Columbus Blue Jackets officially hired Mike Babcock to be their new head coach. It was a move that had long been rumoured, but Columbus had to wait until July 1, when Babcock’s contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs officially expired. It had been over three and a half years since the Leafs let Babcock go, but he was still being paid the remainder of an eight-year, $50 million deal.
During Babcock’s extended absence from the National Hockey League (NHL), there was never much of a thought that a team shouldn’t give him another chance. Despite his resumé, he had proven to be a coach with an outdated approach. Yet, the Blue Jackets decided to take a chance on him, making him the highest-paid bench boss in franchise history that proved to be a sizable error in judgment.
On Sept. 17, not even three months after officially being hired, Babcock resigned from his post following the NHL Players Association’s (NHLPA) investigation into allegations that the coach was using his authority to look through his players’ phones.
In a vacuum, this may seem like a fairly innocent occurrence. The issue with Babcock’s actions wasn’t necessarily that he was scrolling through players’ phones, however. The issue, instead, proved that Babcock failed to change and learn from his past transgressions.
After he was fired by the Leafs, back in November 2019, it came to light that Babcock had used his power as head coach to create a toxic environment for his players. There were multiple allegations directed at Babcock, claiming that he had mistreated players during his time with the Leafs as well as his time with the Detroit Red Wings. Former Red Wings forward, Johan Franzen, alleged that Babcock verbally abused him.
Another incident that came to light involved Leafs’ star forward, Mitch Marner.
During the 2016-17 season — Marner’s rookie year — Babcock allegedly brought Marner into his office and convinced him to rank every skater on the roster from hardest-working to least-hard-working. After Marner reluctantly handed in a list, Babcock showed the entire team during a meeting. This incident reportedly brought a young Marner to tears.
These incidents, amongst others, have resulted in many people in the NHL and the NHLPA dismissing Babcock as a head coaching candidate throughout the past several cycles.
Yet Columbus ignored the risks.
These incidents, amongst others, have resulted in many people in the NHL and the NHLPA dismissing Babcock as a head coaching candidate throughout the past several cycles.
Yet Columbus ignored the risks.
On Sept. 12, the worst case scenario happened. During an episode of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, former NHL forward, Paul Bissonnette, revealed that an anonymous player reached out to him. The player broke the news to Bissonnette that Babcock allegedly asked to see the photos on each player’s phones so he could determine the kinds of people they are.
Five days later, after a brief investigation by the NHLPA, Babcock resigned, ending his reign as head coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
While many believe that this is the final straw in Babcock’s polarizing coaching career, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see the old-school coach find a coaching gig with some professional hockey team. After all, many thought Babcock’s last ‘hurrah’ was his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.
Yet, somehow, he keeps crawling back into the limelight.
