NEW YORK -- Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the NHL found no basis to prevent the Edmonton Oilers from hiring coach Mike Babcock but that the league expects "a certain level of decorum and conduct" from him.
Babcock, 63, was introduced as the Oilers' head coach at a news conference Tuesday. He was hired after an NHL investigation into his brief time as Columbus Blue Jackets head coach. Babcock was hired by Columbus in July 2023 but resigned just a couple of months later in September after an NHLPA investigation into claims that he violated players' privacy when he asked to see photos on their cellphones. His resignation prevented an NHL investigation into the allegations.
The Oilers turned to Babcock to replace Kris Knoblauch after the Vegas Golden Knights refused to allow former coach Bruce Cassidy to interview for the Edmonton job, as he's still under contract. But before the Oilers could hire Babcock, the NHL needed to clear the veteran coach of any wrongdoing per the NHLPA's request for an investigation.
Bettman said the league looked into Babcock's time in Columbus and didn't fine anything disqualifying.
"Based on our investigation, we concluded there was no basis upon which he should be prohibited from coaching. His ability to coach depended on an NHL team wanting to have him coach. And that's what Edmonton did," Bettman said Tuesday after the NHL's board of governors meeting in New York.
The NHL's statement on the investigation this month stated that the findings were "in a light least favorable" to Babcock. Though Bettman wouldn't elaborate on what that meant, he said Babcock is aware that there are standards of conduct the league expects from him.
"We looked at what was alleged to have happened and drew our own conclusions as to what did and did not happen and whether or not any of those should disqualify you from being able to be in the league," Bettman said. "Having said that, we do -- and Mr. Babcock knows it because I spoke to him -- expect a certain level of decorum and conduct among all NHL personnel, especially head coaches."
At his introductory news conference in Edmonton on Tuesday, Babcock said his wife told him, "It's time to get out" of Columbus when the controversies started to intensify. He said he has been self-reflective about the situation that led to his leaving.
"Any time you make anybody feel uncomfortable in your life, you should take a look at yourself and you should say, 'How could I do that better?' And I think that's what you do as a person is you try to always be better at what you do," he said. "The situation in Columbus, they've had a full review and I'm thankful [to the] NHL and NHLPA for doing that. It didn't work out for us. We're excited about making it work here."
Babcock said that during his career his coaching techniques have been misinterpreted.
"Being hard on people a lot of times is confused with telling the truth. I think when a kid sits at your kitchen table and it's one of your children and they ask you a question, you should tell them the truth. That's called love. Sometimes the truth is hard for them," he said. "No matter what happens when you coach, when you scratch people, when you sit them out, when they're at the end of their career and you don't play them, it's hard for them for sure. You try to do that as respectfully as you can. Why? Because you think you're a good human being and that's the right thing to do. Sometimes it's not perceived that way."
Jeff Jackson, the CEO of hockey operations for the Oilers, said Edmonton remained steadfast in hiring Babcock despite criticism over its pursuit of him.
"We didn't look at social media. We just sort of did our thing. Lots of people have lots of opinions, and that's part of our business. The fans have their opinion. We knew what we needed to do to get the coach we wanted, so we just kept sort of moving forward with our diligence and got to a point where we were comfortable," he said.
Part of that comfort came from player input. Jackson said Oilers stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman "were involved and made their opinion known" about Babcock.
"They've been in Edmonton a long time and have gone through some heartbreak together," Jackson said after the governors meeting. "They've earned the right to have a voice. We sought that and we decided. Players don't make the ultimate decision, but I think it's more important to be collaborative with them about communication."
Also at the board meeting, the NHL announced an exploration of expansion to Houston or Austin, Texas, having agreed to a six-month term sheet with the Friedkin family. Between the price of a new arena and the league's expansion fee, "This is going to require a total investment of $3.5 billion," Bettman said.
Bettman also announced that the sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Fenway Group to the Hoffmann Family of Companies, had received unanimous approval from the board of governors.
"The reported number, subject to closing adjustments, is between $1.7 billion and $1.75 billion, give or take," Bettman said. "Actually, the deal was made a year ago, so based on the valuations at that time that was consistent with what Sportico and Forbes and CNBC were doing, although at the time and even now I think of it as low. Having said that, it's nice that the Hoffmanns got a good deal, and it's nice that Fenway in five years doubled its investment."