Mike Babcock #

Introduction #

Mike Babcock, one of the most decorated coaches in NHL history, resigned as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets on September 17, 2023 — a return to the NHL that had lasted 78 days and zero games — amid an investigation into allegations that he asked players to show him photos on their phones. “Upon reflection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction,” Babcock said in a statement released through the team.

Background Information #

Babcock was born on April 29, 1963, in Manitouwadge, Ontario, and grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He began his NHL head coaching career with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, whom he led to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, and in 2005 signed with the Detroit Red Wings, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 2008. Internationally, he coached Canada to gold at both the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, becoming the only coach to gain entry to the IIHF’s Triple Gold Club.

In 2015, Babcock left Detroit to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs, signing an eight-year contract worth $50 million that made him the highest-paid coach in NHL history. He was fired by the Maple Leafs on November 20, 2019, after a six-game losing streak and amid allegations of a toxic work environment. Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said upon firing him that his tactics were not “appropriate or acceptable” in today’s NHL.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

On July 1, 2023, the Blue Jackets named Babcock head coach — his first NHL job since 2019 — on a two-year, $8 million contract that made him the highest-paid coach in team history, hoping to rehabilitate a coach whose reputation had been tarnished in Toronto.

On September 12, allegations of improper behaviour surfaced on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette said a Blue Jackets player had texted him to complain that Babcock asked the team’s captain, Boone Jenner, to show him his phone so he could look at his photos and project them on a wall. The New York Post reported that Babcock then displayed the photos on his office wall via AirPlay. Bissonnette and his podcasting partners insinuated that Babcock was looking for scandalous photos and said some players were upset.

Babcock denied wrongdoing, calling the discussion “irresponsible and completely inaccurate” and saying, “The way this was portrayed on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast was a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.” Jenner and star forward Johnny Gaudreau gave accounts of the meetings as relationship-building, with Jenner saying Babcock asked to see images of his family that he was “happy to share,” and Gaudreau telling ESPN, “We got to share things together, pictures of our family.” However, another player told ESPN that Babcock, who reportedly asked players in Toronto to share photos as well, looked at their phone for an “awkward” amount of time.

The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association both opened investigations. NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh met with Blue Jackets players and later with NHL officials at the league office in Manhattan to investigate the incident. While initial inquiries found no reports of wrongdoing, the investigation ultimately learned that several players — especially younger members of the roster — were uncomfortable with Babcock’s behaviour, and that in at least one instance he spent several minutes looking through a player’s phone. After two days of contract settlement negotiations, Babcock announced his resignation on September 17, before the start of the team’s training camp and before coaching a game for the Blue Jackets.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The resignation came after days of speculation over the podcast discussion. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said “this was a difficult decision on everyone’s part, but one we felt necessary to ensure our focus remains on the players and the team’s upcoming season,” and the team announced that assistant coach Pascal Vincent would take over on a two-year contract. The club subsequently apologized to its players for hiring Babcock amid fan criticism, given previous revelations about his coaching methods in Detroit and Toronto.

The scrutiny in Columbus revived questions that had followed Babcock since Toronto: he had infamously requested a private meeting with then-rookie Mitch Marner, had Marner rank his teammates by work ethic, then shared the list with the players at the bottom of it, and former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen told the Swedish outlet Expressen that he suffered “verbal attacks” at the hands of his coach that caused him to dread coming to work. The NHLPA investigation also came after Babcock had faced allegations from players on previous teams that he could be verbally abusive, according to ESPN.

Current Status #

Babcock did not coach in the NHL again until 2026, as the episode ended the Blue Jackets’ attempt to rehabilitate him. In early June 2026, reports emerged that the Edmonton Oilers were interested in hiring Babcock after firing Kris Knoblauch the previous month; that interest, along with his controversial departure from Columbus, prompted an NHL investigation into his prior conduct. Babcock was cleared to coach again on June 18, 2026, and on June 23, 2026, he was officially named head coach of the Oilers.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The Columbus episode was the defining blow to the second act of a storied career. As the New York Post put it after his resignation, “the move has dramatically backfired, with Babcock’s reputation instantly coming back to haunt him.” By the end of his time in Columbus, Babcock’s coaching methodologies and interpersonal interactions had left him broadly unpopular among hockey players, and the revelations about his treatment of players had long been seen as delaying his return to the NHL after he was fired by the Maple Leafs in 2019.

The cancellation was genuine but not permanent. His tenure lasted 78 days without coaching a game, and since the end of his time with the Maple Leafs he has been the subject of public criticism from many former players alleging verbal abuse and mistreatment. Yet his record — including the 2008 Stanley Cup and back-to-back Olympic gold medals — kept him a viable candidate, and in 2026 he returned to an NHL bench as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.