It shook the entire hockey world. Mike Babcock was supposed to be the one to take Columbus to the next level. It didn’t happen, on the contrary. After the scandal, which was also investigated by the Players Association, Babcock was finished before he started. Blue Jackets management subsequently acknowledged the mistake.
“I’m very disappointed,” said Davidson, the president of hockey operations. “We went through a process earlier in the summer before we hired Mike Babcock. But we got it wrong and it’s on us.”
And he continued: “I can promise you that we will learn from this. I also understand the criticism we get. It’s deserved. All we can do now is learn from it and do everything we can to help our players and coaches get ready for the season.”
The decision came five days after rumors began circulating that Babcock had asked players to share personal photos with him.
And then it went like a flood. Jarmo Kekalainen, the club’s GM, said the Blue Jackets conducted a thorough vetting process before hiring Babcock and initially stood by him when the photo-sharing allegations surfaced.
Davidson subsequently took part in a call on Friday not only with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, but also with the league’s top management and the NHLPA.
The NHLPA outlined its findings that some Blue Jackets players were uncomfortable with Babcock asking them to show personal photos from their devices. After the phone call, Davidson contacted Kekalainen and Mike Priest, one of the owners.
“I don’t believe Mike had any bad intentions in his conversations with the players,” Kekalainen said. “Whether it was intentional or not, some of our players weren’t happy with his methods, which was worrying. As we gathered information and had numerous discussions, both internally and externally, it became clear that the distraction this caused was too great and had a negative impact on our players. As a result, everyone involved in the process has come to the conclusion that it is best for Mike to step down.”
“It’s fair to say he made the players feel very uncomfortable,” added Davidson. He was criticized the moment he first pointed at Babcock in the summer. “Maybe the critics were right. It’s our fault, it’s behind me. Sometimes it just you’re wrong. Like us now.”
Share on Facebook
Share on Google+
Share on Twitter
