Although the Columbus Blue Jackets made headlines across the National Hockey League when they hired Mike Babcock as the franchise's new head coach, defenseman Zach Werenski is unfazed by the 60-year-olds reputation.

“You want your head coach to fire you up and get your group going in the right direction,” Werenski said this week, per NHL.com's Craig Merz. “I think he's done that already just from a month being here, so everyone's really excited to get camp going and get a fresh start to the season.”

After leading the Detroit Red Wings to multiple Stanley Cup appearances, Babcock hasn't coached in the NHL since he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in November of 2019. Allegations of a toxic workplace came to light shortly after the firing, including players calling him a “bully” and accusing him of “verbal assault.”

“I think that's out the window,” Werenski told Merz regarding Babcock's reputation. “I don't think guys have any second guesses on it. I think guys are really excited, actually, it seems from talking with the guys that have met with him already. Everyone kind of came away fired up and ready to go so that's important, right?”

Despite the reputation, Babcock has been extremely successful in his career. His 700 wins rank 12th in NHL history, and he won the Stanley Cup with the Wings in 2008. He also made two other appearances with the Wings in 2009 and Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003.

“Change in all of us takes time,” Babcock said during his introductory press conference in July, per The Associated Press. “I think what this has done is given me a chance to get outside my body and have a look and see what I'm doing and understand you needed to change, you needed to grow.”

The Blue Jackets figure to be much improved next season, with two new faces on the blue line in Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov, as well as No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli set to make an immediate impact at the NHL level.

Columbus fired Brad Larsen in April after the team missed the playoffs for the third straight season, but the hope is that Mike Babcock can help the team get back to the dance in 2024.