Mike Babcock resigns as Columbus Blue Jackets coach after NHLPA investigation
The Blue Jackets’ Mike Babcock era is over before the controversial coach ran the bench for a single game.
Babcock, 60, resigned Sunday, four days after allegations surfaced on a popular hockey podcast that he violated players’ privacy during offseason meetings and 78 days after the Blue Jackets announced him as their new head coach on July 1.
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The team also announced that associate coach Pascal Vincent has been named head coach and agreed to a two-year contract. It’s a whirlwind development that occurred less than a week after the accusations became public and three days before training camp opens Wednesday.
“This was a difficult decision on everyone’s part, but one we felt necessary to ensure our focus remains on the players and the team’s upcoming season,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire Blue Jackets organization, we want to thank Mike for his hard work and the professionalism he has shown in working together on a plan to step down.”
Babcock also issued a statement through the team.
"Upon reflection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction,” Babcock said. “While I’m disappointed to not have had the opportunity to continue the work we’ve begun, I know it’s in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization well in the upcoming season.”
Boone Jenner, other Columbus Blue Jackets veterans didn't have a problem with Mike Babcock's photo request
Inquiries about the accusations were conducted by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association after former NHL player and TNT studio host Paul Bissonnette said Tuesday on the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast that Babcock was demanding access to players’ phones to scroll through photos. The Blue Jackets pushed back and attempted to explain what happened by adding context with statements from Babcock and captain Boone Jenner, whose meeting with the coach was referenced by Bissonnette.
Bissonnette said Babcock told the Blue Jackets’ captain he wanted to see photos on his phone to “see what kind of person you are.”
Hours after the podcast published, Babcock and Jenner refuted Bissonnette’s account and said it was “disappointing” to see their meeting taken out of context. During calls with The Dispatch following the statements, Babcock and Jenner said the Jackets’ captain responded to Babcock’s photo request by using Apple’s Airplay feature to post some of his choosing on a TV screen in the coach’s office.
“To have it blown out of proportion, completely out of proportion, is disappointing to me,” Jenner said. “That was our first meeting, getting to know each other. It was a really good meeting and all the talks we’ve had since have been really good.”
Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau echoed Jenner’s story and said his summer interactions with Babcock were positive. Defenseman Zach Werenski said the same thing Wednesday on 97.1 FM.
“I think it’s one of those things where it’s really a non-event in our locker room,” Werenski said. “I think guys didn’t even think twice about it when they were meeting with ‘Babs’ and kind of going through that process. It’s so harmless on his end. He’s just trying to get to know guys.”
Werenski met with Babcock at the coach’s lakeside "tiki bar" at his home in Brighton, Michigan, and said the screen sharing function on his phone wasn’t working during the three-hour chat. After speaking with multiple teammates about their meetings with Babcock, Werenski didn’t detect any red flags.
“Everyone I’ve talked to has said the same thing,” Werenski said during the radio appearance. “He just wants to see our family, see our dogs, where we’re from, what we like to do in the summer … there (were) no boundaries crossed at all with anyone.”
Narrative changed after NHLPA meeting with Columbus Blue Jackets players
The Blue Jackets’ started to reverse course after the NHLPA conducted an inquiry, which included the organization’s top two leaders ― executive director Marty Walsh and assistant executive director Ron Hainsey ― flying to Columbus on Thursday to speak with players. Walsh, Hainsey and NHLPA general counsel Don Zavelo then met with NHL officials Friday at the league’s New York headquarters.
It was a previously scheduled meeting, but NHLPA leaders updated the league on what they learned from players who spoke with them. The NHLPA issued a statement following the meeting that said the union provided an update to the NHL on what was discovered. The NHL did not issue a statement. The NHLPA followed up with a statement from Walsh after Babcock's resignation was announced Sunday.
“Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace," Walsh said. "Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club's decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action."
A source told the Dispatch that one of the biggest things that changed the team's thinking was a player telling the NHLPA that Babcock held his phone "for an uncomfortable length of time," during a meeting in Columbus held somewhere other than Nationwide Arena. The player said Babcock looked through photos for "several minutes" and there was concern the coach would search his text messages.
Attempts to reach Babcock were unsuccessful.
A similar report on Sportsnet, citing "multiple" sources, nearly mirrors what the Dispatch was told. It said the alleged incident was "beyond the scope of what was initially understood to have occurred," which changed the team's stance.
Pascal Vincent named Columbus Blue Jackets head coach after twice being passed over
Vincent, 51, was a finalist for the Blue Jackets' head coaching role after former coach John Tortorella and the team parted ways in 2021. The job instead went to Brad Larsen, one of Tortorella's assistants who was promoted to the top job.
Kekalainen said Vincent was so impressive during the interview process that he was offered the role of associate head coach on Larsen's staff. Larsen and Vincent didn't know each other, but hit it off immediately while talking on the phone. Vincent then accepted the job.
Larsen was fired in April after his second season on a three-year contract, following an injury-plagued season in which the Blue Jackets finished 31st out of 32 teams and only garnered 59 points with a 25-48-9 record.
Vincent, who interviewed with at least one other NHL team this offseason, was again interviewed for the Jackets' head coaching role. Kekalainen and John Davidson, the team's president of hockey operations, went with the veteran Babcock, who has 700 career coaching wins and won the Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings.
Vincent has an extensive resumé as a head coach with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, the Winnipeg Jets' top affiliate, and with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Montreal Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He won coach of the year honors in the AHL and QMJHL, and won GM of the year honors in the QMJHL as Cape Breton's head coach/GM.
Vincent also logged five years on the Jets' bench as an NHL assistant prior to becoming Manitoba's head coach.
“This is a difficult day, but I am looking forward to this opportunity and appreciate the organization’s confidence in me to lead this team,” Vincent said in the team's release. “We have a great group of guys that have been working very hard to prepare for the season. My focus will be to work with our staff to help them get better every day and be ready for what we believe will be an exciting season.”
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Kekalainen issued his support Vincent in the release.
"Pascal Vincent is an outstanding coach,” Kekalainen said. “He knows our players and organization, and is respected by everyone here. He was a strong candidate for our head coaching position several months ago and is in the best position to help us navigate this change as we begin camp and lead our team moving forward.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike Babcock resigns as Columbus Blue Jackets coach
