Oilers working to hire Mike Babcock as coach, officially cleared by NHL

[Leafs87]

All drama aside, the game has changed a lot since he was last successful coaching it.

His style actually fits in better with today’s game

 

[Beau Knows]

Chelios has been outspoken about a number of players and coaches. Look up what he's said about Mike Keenan.

If it was just one or two players like Chelios or Commodore who had spoken out about how much of an asshole this guy is I could see where you're coming from. But look at this list of names, and I'm sure I'm missing some:

• Commodore
• Chelios
• Winnick
• Franzen
• Modano
• Colaiacovo
• The players in Columbus who reported his actions to the NHLPA
• Reporters who reported that the Columbus situation was much worse than Babcock was describing
• The Columbus management group which decided to part ways with him before he'd even played a game and apologized to their players for hiring him

What's the saying? If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole. Hockey players hate controversy and speaking ill of anyone they've played with or for, the fact that that many people have openly talked about this guy like that is telling.

 

[LOFIN]

the fact that that many people have openly talked about this guy like that is telling.

How many people actually have stepped up and defended Babcock as a person? Not that many.

Torts is a controversial coach, but for every player that disliked him, you will have another who loved him. I haven't heard the same for Babcock.

 

[mphmiles]

Chelios has been outspoken about a number of players and coaches. Look up what he's said about Mike Keenan.

Who hasn't been outspoken about Mike Keenan? He's almost universally reviled, and couldn't make it 3 full years at any of his last 5 coaching stops because he couldn't get along with absolutely anyone.

 

[ElysiumAB]

I’m not exactly sure, but it seems to have happened sometime between Wayne Gretzky crying about being traded and then getting over it and Patrick laine and Elias Peterson getting so into their own heads that they can’t even play hockey anymore

You consider depression "getting so into their own heads"?

 

[KniesMadeBradyCry]

That's quite a claim by a leafs fan.

Just because they have a losing team, means nothing. They aren’t filled with awful people and continually hiring them

 

[BeranekAndNeck]

Just because they have a losing team, means nothing. They aren’t filled with awful people and continually hiring them

Yeah like except the guy who was banished from the league and had to pivot into a career running Wendy’s franchises until only one team came calling for violating prospect testing rules, never mind his unsavoury attempt to jump ship to a rival organization. Totally upstanding people in that Leafs FO.

 

[Strangle]

You consider depression "getting so into their own heads"?

That’s exactly what it is

 

[KniesMadeBradyCry]

lol

Yeah like except the guy who was banished from the league and had to pivot into a career running Wendy’s franchises until only one team came calling for violating prospect testing rules, never mind his unsavoury attempt to jump ship to a rival organization. Totally upstanding people in that Leafs FO.

oh no. Somebody broke a testing rule. It’s really similar to covering up sexual assault, a massive bully, and so forth.

 

[Hanji]

If it was just one or two players like Chelios or Commodore who had spoken out about how much of an asshole this guy is I could see where you're coming from. But look at this list of names, and I'm sure I'm missing some:

• Commodore
• Chelios
• Winnick
• Franzen
• Modano
• Colaiacovo
• The players in Columbus who reported his actions to the NHLPA
• Reporters who reported that the Columbus situation was much worse than Babcock was describing
• The Columbus management group which decided to part ways with him before he'd even played a game and apologized to their players for hiring him

What's the saying? If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole. Hockey players hate controversy and speaking ill of anyone they've played with or for, the fact that that many people have openly talked about this guy like that is telling.

There are many more players than that.

‘No one is spared’: Tracing Mike Babcock’s imperious NHL coaching career

His complicated coaching legacy includes championships, big paydays and charges of mistreatment and mental torment.

www.nytimes.com

 

[BeranekAndNeck]

lol

oh no. Somebody broke a testing rule. It’s really similar to covering up sexual assault, a massive bully, and so forth.

Dang, which one cost their team draft picks again?

 

[Albatros]

Chelios has been outspoken about a number of players and coaches. Look up what he's said about Mike Keenan.

 

[jackjohnson]

Right before those things happened there were never any Canucks or Flames fans such as yourself who filled endless threads trolling the Oilers - are you serious lol?

Sure, those signings are some more ammunition, but save me the part where anyone actually cares, it's just a chance for trolling.

When Anaheim signed coach Q there wasn't half the outcry there would have been if he had settled with a Canadian team.

What does trolling on hfboards has any relation to what a professional hockey organization such as Oilers do off the ice? You seem to be grasping at straws comparing something that's totally unrelated. Oilers were the first to sign for Kane when no one wanted anything to do with him. Signed Perry after some controversial rumours. Signed Bowman who was involved in that Chicago scandal. Signed Babcock who is known to abuse player particularly when he coached the leafs. All of these people were hired after controversial incidence and the Oilers are always the first ones lining up to sign these characters. So please stop crying about how people didn't troll the Ducks because of the Queenvile hiring. That's a one off compared to what the Oilers have done in recent years. I bet this Oilers management would have been the first ones to sign Bertuzzi right after the Moore incident.

 

[bleedgreen]

It absolutely does deserve firing. There's a reason Columbus and Babcock "parted ways", the GM admitted hiring him was a mistake and he apologized to his players for hiring him.

The coach is essentially the players boss. You can't have him snooping through players phones, it's an absurd breach of privacy.

The pics weren’t the reason he got fired. Something happened that involved Laine, it’s never been released what.

The pics thing - if it happened as it’s told - is not worth firing imo. I wouldn’t have minded at all if a boss mirrored some pics on a tv and asked if I had any to show just to break the ice. I get it not being a universal thing that people like….but that’s a chat from hr about boundaries. Not fired and vilified.

IF that’s how that part happened. But again, he wasn’t fired for the pics. We don’t know the story of why unless someone knows the Laine part.

 

[Hank Plank]

Truly incredible the Oilers are really doing this.