The Edmonton Oilers have hired Mike Babcock as their new head coach following an extensive search. Babcock has not coached an NHL game since 2019.
And he was forced out of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 before even running a single practice. It's a controversial move to say the least, but the veteran bench boss has a major supporter in team captain Connor McDavid.
McDavid spoke about his new head coach on Wednesday ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. The Oilers captain was asked about Babcock's infamously abrasive approach, which has cost him two coaching gigs. Suffice it to say, he is not concerned with a hard approach. In fact, McDavid is embracing it.
“The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result,” he said, via Sportsnet's Mark Spector. “Babs is different. He gives us a different personality, a different approach to our group, and an approach that we’ve probably have never had. We've tried it the same way for a really long time. Let's try it different.”
Babcock has coached three different teams: the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2003. And in 2008, he won it all with the Red Wings.
However, he was let go by the Maple Leafs in 2019 after reports emerged regarding his treatment of players. Specifically, he was alleged to have singled out a then-rookie Mitch Marner. In 2023, he was hired by the Blue Jackets to turn their franchise around. However, he resigned before training camp after reports emerged about potential violations of player privacy.
The Oilers are taking a big risk in hiring an extremely polarizing coach. But this is not a risk they are taking without the backing of their most important players.
“I’m excited about that challenge to be pushed by a coach,” McDavid said, “because it's been a really long time in Edmonton. It's time to have that happen in Edmonton. It’s time.”
