NHLPA Urges NHL for Full Investigation Into Mike Babcock’s Incident With Blue Jackets Amid Interest from Oilers

Mike Babcock resigned from his post as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets without managing a single game following allegations of invading the privacy of players.

NHLPA Urges NHL for Full Investigation Into Mike Babcock’s Incident With Blue Jackets Amid Interest from Oilers

Mike Babcock with the Columbus Blue Jackets (Image via Imago)

On Monday, the NHL world was left stunned after reports of the Edmonton Oilers having an interest in hiring Mike Babcock came out. The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) now wants the NHL to do a full investigation regarding his incident with the Columbus Blue Jackets before the Canadian team hires him.

In 2023, Babcock was named the head coach of the Blue Jackets. This was his first head coach gig in the NHL since his departure from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was fired from his position in November 2019.

Ten weeks into his head coaching role with the Blue Jackets, he found himself in trouble. He was alleged to have invaded the privacy of the players by going through their personal phones. The NHL and the NHLPA would start their investigation into this.

As the investigation went on, it was revealed that several young players were not comfortable with his behavior. In September, Babcock resigned from his position as the head coach of the Blue Jackets, without managing a single game.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Oilers had consulted the NHLPA over appointing Babcock as their new head coach. The team is currently without a head coach following the firing of Kris Knoblauch.

According to reports on Tuesday, the NHLPA has now asked the NHL for a full investigation. The union now wants to know what went down in Columbus with Babcock before the Oilers hire him as their next head coach.

Another important factor is that the league will undergo investigation only if the team fully wants him at the helm. So the decision sits with the Oilers.

The 2025-26 season was another one to forget for the Oilers. The Edmonton-based side went 41-30-11 in the regular season. After that, they suffered a first-round elimination against the Anaheim Ducks following a 5-2 loss in Game 6.

This came after the team suffered back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses against the Florida Panthers. After losing in Game 7 in 2024, the Panthers crushed the Oilers 5-1 in Game 6 last year to repeat as NHL champions. This year, they failed to make it to the postseason after finishing with a 40-38-4 record.

The Oilers, who were hoping for the third time to be the charm, were handed an early exit. A few days after this, the team fired head coach Kris Knoblauch. Under his reign, they went 135-77-21 in three seasons and 31-22 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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Despite controversial past, Mike Babcock has a winning pedigree

The Edmonton Oilers were once again left empty-handed as the Connor McDavid-led side lost in the playoffs once again. As they seek their first Stanley Cup since 1990, they have turned their attention towards Mike Babcock. While the head coach has a controversial past, he also has a winning pedigree.

Mike Babcock
Mike Babcock (Image via Imago)

Babcock has coached in the NHL from 2002 to 2019 and led the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In his first season in charge, he guided his team to the Stanley Cup. However, the New Jersey Devils defeated him and his side in the 2003 Final.

After losing in the Conference Finals against his former club, the now-renamed Anaheim Ducks, in 2007, he won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008.

The next year, he and the Red Wings came close to defending their title. However, unlike the previous season, this time they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 786 regular-season games with the Red Wings in 10 seasons, he went 458-223-105. In 123 playoff games, they went 67-56.

He then joined the Maple Leafs. After missing the playoffs in his first season, he led the Toronto-based side to the playoffs in each of the next three seasons. However, they suffered first-round losses on all three occasions.

Babcock currently has a 700-418-164 record. He is thus the 12th-winningest head coach in NHL history, having missed the playoffs just twice in his 14 full seasons.

Apart from that, he has guided Hockey Canada to several glories, including two Olympic golds in 2010 and 2014. To date, he is the first and only coach to win the Stanley Cup, World Cup, World Championship, and World Junior Championship, and to coach an Olympic gold medal-winning team.

Despite this, his controversial past has made him a contrasting figure in the NHL. He once had a highly strained player-coach relationship with Johan Franzen. The former Red Wings star claimed he was verbally assaulted several times by him, which led to him having a mental breakdown.

Babcock was also under the heat for healthy scratching Mike Modano from the lineup several times. The Hockey Hall of Famer finished with 1,499 appearances, one shy of the 1,500 mark due to Babcock’s decisions.

It now remains to be seen what the Oilers do. They were previously linked with Bruce Cassidy. However, the Vegas Golden Knights blocked him from attending interviews regarding coaching after they fired him and hired John Tortorella as their new head coach.

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