Dave Litman
The Edmonton Oilers‘ offseason has gone off the rails pretty quickly. The furor over the potential Mike Babcock hiring for their open head coaching position has infiltrated every corner of the hockey world.
The NHLPA has asked the NHL to investigate the former coach for transgressions arising during his failed two-month tenure in Columbus in 2023. The Oilers cannot proceed with the hiring until the investigation is done.
The big narrative that’s been out there was an invasion of privacy issue. Babcock allegedly asked players prior to training camp to show him pictures on their cellphones. But a new report this week alleges that there was something even more nefarious going on, as yet unknown, which is what led to his resignation back then.
Even hockey insiders have been beside themselves, incredulous that the Oilers would even consider hiring Babcock. One of the most vocal of these critics has been Frank Seravalli of Victory+. He went on Oilers Now this week to absolutely trash the club.
What a massive tactical error. How did we go from one end of the spectrum to the other? How did we go from Bruce Cassidy to the other end of it? We have no clarity on Bruce Cassidy and his availability. They’re making this decision now? Why? There is only one other coaching vacancy in the NHL, and it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs. They’re not bringing back Mike Babcock. Mike Babcock is gonna be there two days from now, two weeks from now, two months from now, because the Oilers are the only team that could or would hire Mike Babcock.
Insider’s rant on Oilers: ‘A massive tactical error’ trying to hire Mike Babcock
Seravalli doubled down on his Frankly Hockey show:
“Not only is this a tactical error, but it’s an unforced error. I would’ve gotten clearance from the NHLPA and the NHL before I even engaged in talking with Mike Babcock. ‘Hey, would there be a problem if we decided to go down this path?’ And sources indicate that the NHLPA made it abundantly clear last week that, ‘Yes, this is a problem.'”
Of course, Babcock has a long history of making enemies around the NHL.
Former player Mike Commodore publicly called Babcock a “terrible human being.” Johan Franzen, who played for him with the Detroit Red Wings, called Babcock “the worst person I’ve ever met”. He called him a bully who attacked players, staff, and even other arena workers. Franzen suffered a nervous breakdown and PTSD from those years, and retired in 2015 because of the treatment he received from him.
This outpouring of shock and anger around the hockey world will probably continue until this drama is put to rest. But for now, there is no timeline for the NHL’s investigation.
