Edmonton Oilers name Mike Babcock as head coach after hire cleared by NHL

He added, “I actually don’t think my intentions are wrong that often.

“I think sometimes my tone is for sure, and we have to work at that.”

Babcock takes over from Kris Knoblauch, who was fired after the Oilers’ first-round loss to Anaheim in this year’s playoffs.

That loss, after two straight seasons of appearances in the Stanley Cup final, sparked concerns that the Oilers are headed in the wrong direction.

Babcock said he has recently met with the team’s core team leaders: captain McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman.

“They’ve told me, ‘We have to be better, and we expect you to make us better,'” he said.

“I was very clear to them, unless you’re 100 per cent all in on Mike Babcock, I have no interest in being the coach.

“Obviously, they’re comfortable, or I wouldn’t be here.”

It has been seven years since Babcock, 63, coached an NHL game.

He has parts of 17 seasons behind NHL benches under his belt, most with the Detroit Red Wings. He led the team to a Stanley Cup title in 2007-2008.

His last appearance was with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019. He was fired after a mediocre start to his fifth season at the helm.

He also led Canada to Olympic men’s hockey gold in 2010 and 2014.

He came back briefly in 2023, with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but resigned before the first training camp amid an investigation into reports that he invaded the privacy of players.

Ex-NHLer Paul Bissonnette said he was told by an unidentified player that Babcock asked them in one-on-one meetings to see photos on their phones and would then stream them on his television.

Babcock and Columbus captain Boone Jenner said at the time the report was “a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.”

The NHL Players’ Association investigated the reports before Babcock issued a statement announcing his resignation, saying he was “was going to be too much of a distraction.”

The NHL recently cleared the Oilers to hire Babcock after the union, hearing that Edmonton might hire him, asked it investigate what happened in Columbus.

There were other controversies.

After Toronto fired him, forward Mitch Marner confirmed reports that Babcock had asked him as a rookie to rank teammates by work ethic before sharing the results with other players.

In his 2024 memoir, former Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri wrote that Babcock had training staff rank players’ effort levels in the gym then discussed those evaluations in front of teammates, which he said damaged trust in the dressing room.

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen once described Babcock as the “worst person” he had ever met. Former teammate Chris Chelios said Babcock berated Franzen during their time in Detroit to the point of a nervous breakdown.

Daniel Winnik, who played for Babcock with the Leafs, last week called him “the only guy that’s ever made me hate hockey.”

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, sitting beside Babcock on Tuesday, said the Oilers need a veteran behind the bench and that he came away impressed after talking with Babcock.

Bowman acknowledged there’s skepticism about the hire but said Babcock understands the expectations.

“There’s nothing wrong with holding players accountable for their performance but also doing it in a way that’s respectful, and that’s what we expect here,” Bowman said.

“I need to trust Mike that he’s going to operate that way, and he needs to trust me that we’re going to do the same thing with everyone that we interact with.”

Joining Babcock’s staff is associate coach D.J. Smith, a former Toronto assistant under Babcock who later coached the Ottawa Senators for more than five seasons.

Babcock said he expects Smith and Bowman to help him stay in line.

If not, Babcock said, “They’re going to tell me, and I’m going to do something about it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Edmonton Oilers name Mike Babcock as head coach after hire cleared by NHL

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