The Edmonton Oilers are still without a coach, but have their sights set on Mike Babcock. Due to allegations against him in 2023, he resigned as the coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets before even coaching a game. This led the NHL to further investigate Babcock before allowing him to be hired.
Now, the NHL has concluded its investigation and has cleared the way for Babcock to be hired, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.
“The League has completed its review of Mike Babcock’s tenure in Columbus, and of certain alleged conduct associated therewith. Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the League,” the NHL said in a statement per LeBrun.
Babcock was fired following a bad start to the 2019-20 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a short stint with the University of Vermont, he was the head coach for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies for a season in 2021-22. He was then hired in July 2023 to coach the Blue Jackets, but would never coach a game with them.
He was accused of invading the privacy of his players, forcing players to hand over their cell phones as he went through them. The allegations were severe enough that Babcock chose to resign. These became the allegations that led the NHL to investigate whether Babcock should be hired by the Oilers.
While a controversial coach for how he interacts with players, he has had success. He led the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Final in 2003, and would win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. In 1,301 regular seasons games, Babcock has a record of 700-418-19-164. He also brought his teams to the playoffs 14 times in 16 full seasons.
Now, the Oilers can make the hire of Babcock, and also manage their players who may not be happy with the move.
The post Why NHL is clearing Mike Babcock to coach Oilers after Blue Jackets scandal appeared first on ClutchPoints.
