Babcock resigns as coach of Blue Jackets amid investigation
The Blue Jackets announced Sunday that Babcock resigned from his position and that associate coach Pascal Vincent will serve as their head coach.
“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 that was released by the team. “While I’m disappointed to not have had the opportunity to continue the work we’ve begun, I know it’s in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization well in the upcoming season.”
Babcock’s resignation comes in the wake of allegations surfacing over the past week that he violated players’ privacy when he asked to see photos on their cellphones. The allegations were first presented when former NHL player Paul Bissonnette said on Tuesday’s edition of the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast that Babcock asked Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner to show him his camera roll before displaying those photos via AirPlay on a wall in the coach’s office.
“Enough with putting guys on the spot in the coaches’ room asking them to link their phones up to AirPlay mode and grilling them,” Bissonette said after the episode was released. “I’ve had tons of players confirm it.”
Babcock and Jenner both released statements through the Blue Jackets on the same day of the podcast that denied the photo request was anything nefarious. Babcock said that while meeting with players and staff, he asked them to share — off their phones — family photos as part of the process to know them better while claiming what was portrayed on the podcast was “a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.”
Jenner said Babcock asked him about his family, where he was from, his upcoming wedding and hockey-related items. Jenner said that Babcock asked whether he had any photos of his family and that he was “happy to share some with him.” He also said Babcock shared photos of his family with Jenner.
“I thought it was a great first meeting and a good way for us to start to build a relationship,” Jenner said in the statement. “To have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing.”
Blue Jackets All-Star forward Johnny Gaudreau confirmed to ESPN last week that he had shown Babcock photos that were on his phone per Babcock’s request. Gaudreau said that he had “a great meeting” with Babcock.
“We got to share things together, pictures of our family,” Gaudreau said. “I was a little upset to see the way it was handled and how it came out. … but nothing you can do about it. We got off to a great start, had a great meeting with him and looking forward to working together.”
Former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore, who previously played for Babcock and has been critical of the coach, said he heard that behavior also occurred when Babcock was the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Commodore said in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that he heard “it happened with a few other players in Columbus, too” and that, “I don’t want to use any names, but in particular [it involved] a young, very highly touted prospect.”
Sources told ESPN that two NHLPA executives met with Blue Jackets players Thursday to investigate the claims that Babcock had violated their privacy. A source also told ESPN that the Blue Jackets welcomed the NHLPA investigation to determine whether there was any wrongdoing by Babcock.
Sportsnet previously reported that the NHL and NHLPA planned to discuss the allegations and the next potential steps of the investigation at a meeting that had previously been scheduled for Friday.
The NHLPA’s investigation revealed that some players didn’t feel totally comfortable with Babcock, sources told ESPN, and it was especially younger players who spoke out on some negative experiences. There was at least one reported incident of Babcock looking at a personal device for too long.
“Just awkward interactions,” a source briefed on the findings told ESPN.
“[Babcock] may be trying to change, but you can’t force it,” a player’s agent told ESPN. “His communication style wasn’t going to work for the younger generation.”
The decision on Babcock comes less than three months after he was hired by the club back in July. Babcock, who has also coached the team then known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Detroit Red Wings, also saw his conduct with players come under question when he was in charge of the Leafs.
Babcock, who coached the Leafs from 2015 to 2019, requested a private meeting with Mitchell Marner in which he asked the forward to rank his teammates’ work ethic and then revealed those rankings to the team. Another former player, Johan Franzen, accused Babcock of being verbally abusive when Franzen played with the Red Wings.
Babcock, who is 60 and last coached in the NHL in 2019, was slated to be the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan men’s program for two seasons starting in May 2021 only for him to step down months later.
His replacement, Vincent, was a Winnipeg Jets assistant coach for five seasons before he became the head coach of the Jets’ AHL affiliate. Vincent coached the Manitoba Moose for five seasons before he was hired by the Blue Jackets before the start of the 2021-22 season to serve as their associate coach.
“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,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire Blue Jackets organization, we want to thank Mike for his hard work and professionalism he has shown in working together on a plan to step down.”
Additional reporting from ESPN national NHL reporter Emily Kaplan.