Former NHL star Mark Messier, who had a Hall of Fame career with the Edmonton Oilers, said he's "horrified" by the team's hiring of controversial coach Mike Babcock.
"I am absolutely shocked they hired him. I'm absolutely shocked from the stories that I heard from very good, reputable, character people about the way they were treated. It's been no secret," said Messier, now an ESPN studio analyst, during a conference call Wednesday promoting the upcoming NHL season.
Babcock, 63, was hired by the Oilers to replace head coach Kris Knoblauch, who had led Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup finals before a first-round playoff exit last season. Babcock's legacy of success, which includes a Stanley Cup win with Detroit and two Olympic gold medals with Canada, has been tarnished by accusations of mental abuse by players during his NHL career.
Former Red Wings star Johan Franzen said the coach's "verbal attacks" led to an emotional breakdown. When Babcock was fired in Toronto in 2019 after five seasons, then-Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said his coaching tactics were not "appropriate or acceptable."
In 2023, Babcock was hired by Columbus, but he never coached a game for the Blue Jackets after violating players' privacy by asking to see their cellphone camera rolls. The NHL investigated Babcock's resignation in Columbus. In June, the league cleared the way for the Oilers to hire him.
"Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment," the NHL said in a statement. Babcock was hired by the Oilers in collaboration with the team's veteran stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, who all personally vetted Babcock.
"They've earned the right to have a voice. We sought that and we decided," said Jeff Jackson, the team's CEO of hockey operations. Messier took issue with that approach, saying he had "never heard" of players interviewing a coaching candidate before.
"I think there has to be a separation of powers on the structural level of any team. I think from the management to the coaching to the players, there has to be a divide. The leadership of your team has to protect the players inside the dressing room. How can you do that when you're directly involved with the decisions they're making at the management level and hiring of the management and coaches?" he said. "If it does go bad and players are having difficulties, who do they turn to? Because if they turn to the leadership, the leadership is management. There's no separation there."
Messier is the latest former NHL player to criticize the return of Babcock to the league's coaching ranks. Former defenseman Mike Commodore tweeted that "anyone who cleared the way for Mike Babcock to get another opportunity in the NHL should be ashamed of themselves."
Former forward Daniel Winnik, who played for Babcock in Toronto, called him "a bully" and "the only guy that has ever made me hate hockey" during a radio interview in June. Messier said that from the hiring of Babcock to the manner in which he was hired, "I am just horrified about the whole thing, to be honest with you. I could go on and on and on, but I think you get my point."