The details of the affair that forced Mike Babcock to resign from the post of Columbus hockey coach are growing.
There was one surprise in a recent online poll of NHL players by The Athletic. When choosing a coach to play under, one in 33 respondents named Babcock. Can, who in recent weeks is perhaps the most hated coach in the world.
It used to not be like that, at least not in the public eye. As the winner of the Stanley Cup, the World Championship, the World Cup and two Olympics, Babcock has become a recognized capacity.
In Toronto, he earned – for a dizzying coach – 6.25 million dollars a year.
In the 2019/20 season, however, he was fired due to an unsuccessful start. And most importantly – there were increasing reports that Babcock was a bully. His reputation was there.
Nevertheless, he got the coaching job in Columbus this past summer break.
But he didn’t last even to the training camp. His bond was broken by testimony that he forced his charges to show him cellphone photos.
The leaders of the Columbus Blue Jackets, such as captain Boone Jenner and winger Johnny Gaudreau, defended Babcock at first, but some younger hockey players had a problem with what happened. After an investigation by the NHLPA, the coach resigned. He didn’t apologize, he just didn’t want to cause any more fuss.
The affair started on the basis of testimony in the podcast Spittin Chiclets, where former NHL hockey players Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney regularly discuss.
It was they who came up with additional information after the coach’s resignation.
Several incidents of forced showing of private photos were said to have taken place right at Babcock’s home. In at least one case, a coach invited a young player to lunch and asked for his cell phone. When he finished looking at the photos, he told the hockey player to leave. There was no joint lunch.
Legendary defender Chris Chelios, who experienced the controversial coach during his employment in Detroit, also spoke against Babcock.
He stated that Babcock behaved like a bully especially towards young hockey players who were afraid to speak up because they wanted to play. But he was also able to drop experienced stars, such as the Swedish forward Johan Franzén.
“I remember what he put the poor guy through, who was suffering from the effects of a concussion at the time,” Chelios began. “He literally called him into the office once a week to call him a fat pig, tell him all his teammates hate him and ask him why he doesn’t just quit.”
“Something tells me he wanted to get fired so he could pack up the money and get out. I don’t know how he made the deal with Columbus now, I don’t know if he’s going to get paid. But I’ll tell you, this guy is smart as a fox,” continued the former American quarterback, who played 1651 games in the regular season of the NHL.
“He deserves what happened to him now,” he added to the once respected coach.
2023-09-23 08:01:27
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