3:08 PM: The Blue Jackets have now officially announced Babcock’s resignation. Assistant coach Pascal Vincent has been named the club’s new head coach, and has signed a two-year contract extension.
2:48 PM: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock is expected to resign his position this afternoon.
Columbus officially named Babcock their head coach on July 1 after his previous contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired him in November of 2019, expired. This week, Babcock was the subject of a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players, originally reported by former NHL player Paul Bissonnette on a recent episode of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
NHLPA officials met Friday after meeting with several Blue Jackets players and staff and said they “provided the NHL with an update on our ongoing review” in a statement released after the meeting. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the now-concluded NHLPA investigation “left no path for Babcock to continue as coach.” Friedman reported on an earlier edition of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast last week that while veterans Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau were comfortable with their exchanges with Babcock regarding the photo-sharing exercise, multiple younger players on the roster did not feel the same way.
The Blue Jackets have yet to release a statement. At the time of writing, it’s unclear what path the Blue Jackets will take to name an interim head coach with training camp starting this week.
By resigning, Babcock walks away from the remainder of a two-year contract that was set to pay him a total of $8MM.
Shocked face emoji sale on now, see link below for your PHR discount! Way to go, Babs!
Dear Jarmo, please don’t interview Keenan, either. TIA.
Bill Peters is available.
@66TheNumberOfTheBest – And here I thought you were our friend. :(
Imagine if Bedard was drafted into this. Bonnie Lindros on line 3.
The old days of the Billy Martin, the Bill Parcells, the Mike Keenan are dead and gone. We see it in the workforce. We see it in education we see it in our daily lives, and it’s a good thing because if we preach it in our daily lives, it should hold for what we follow in sports.
This basically has cut the balls off of John Tortorella. And his old-school thinking.
You picked a great team, Johnny!
Babcock doesn’t appear to have absorbed the coaching he received on how not to get fired for things like this particularly well.
Not as well as he claimed, at least.
Tuned them out.
Kekalainen has done a fantastic job of drafting young talent and bringing in good players but his track record in picking coaches is about as good as my track record with picking women.
Bring in Quenneville and get to the playoffs!!!!!!
If the Rangers were cut off on talking to the Q man he’ll never come back into the NHL, and neither will Babcock
A wasn’t reinstated when he was talking with the Rangers, He and Bowman are now both reinstated.
Q
Just want to clarify for any commenters reading that this is incorrect, neither Bowman nor Quenneville have been reinstated by Bettman
Was just going to say that Josh. They have both met with Bettman to discuss where they are in their lives after the Beach situation, but neither has been deemed eligible for a job in the league yet. Not known if either ever will as well.
I’m correct.
Lol. Okay
This is crazy, forced to resign before even coaching a game because he wants to show he’s the big man again. I couldn’t understand why they hired him in the first place, he has to be one of the most hated coaches in recent history, and plays silly mind games with his players.
Embarrassing. What a soft league
for invading personal privacy?
Curious to know how you’d react if your employer forced you to show them photos on your personal phone.
Depends on the situation. If a sales rep was supposed to be taking care of accounts in a certain region but was instead in Cancun, the employer may look for evidence on their phone.
It’s so revealing into their mushroom managed minion mindset that they consider being a total serf to your employer the sign of a “real” man.
“My boss can abuse me morning, noon and night and you won’t hear a peep out of me cuz I ain’t some kind of woke commie!!!”
They have been strategically conditioned into being happy little footstools. At scale.
and the employer would have that right if it’s a company phone. if it’s a personal phone, they can ask, but you don’t have to give it up.
it’s also still a weird request
Uh no. I’m a manager. I have 10 reps I look after. Would never even think of doing that. If I suspect someone is not working then they’re not the right person for the job anyway. Looking into someone’s personal phone is also a legal issue and definitely NOT allowed. It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
@MoneyBallJustWorks- All depends on the situation. One of many ways to out someone lying about their activities.
I remember a situation where people could clock into work using a phone app and it was found out they were clocking in while still driving to work!
Johnny Gaudreau even said he didn’t care. When your best player doesn’t care and said he thought of it as getting to know what kind of person he is. Athletes are overpaid d bags so not surprised they cried about it. I wouldn’t care at all, I have nothing to hide
… so you have never done anything, not in your entire life, that you’re ashamed off, that was illegal, immoral or suspect, that was a secret you don’t want to share, that would embarrass loved ones or family?
Well, go you, Saint Carson. The testimonial dinner is forthcoming.
Maybe Carson wasn’t dumb enough to save photos or videos of illegal activity on his phone ♂️
I don’t see anywhere a demand was made to invade someone’s personal space lol. Protecting your personal space and being afraid your coach might see something you might be judged on or embarrassed about are two completely different things my friend.
My response would be …watyoutalkinbout..
“The thrill is gone, the black frank white is here to excite” won’t continue since the next line may get me banned nowadays lol
How’s it being soft? Especially when you don’t know all of the details that’s a bold statement. Will you still consider them soft if details come out that they were forced to hand over there phones or forced to share pictures? If my boss asked for my phone I would tell him kick rocks, if that makes me soft in your mind so be it, but just because they are high paid athletes should they not be entitled to the same labor laws as the rest of us? Personal life and work aren’t related, if you wanna get to know your team invite them out for a beer and let’s talk.
Certainly the NHLPA and former players did not want him around in the league so if the NHL did not want conflict then just fire him. I think there was more that meets the eye..Newer and younger players probably had a problem with this getting to know you method…
“younger players”. That’s key. Probably used his Babcock instincts on Fantilli and other young players.
Mike Babcock, one of the few to get fired with a 0-0 record for a team.
I was trying to think of another example of this happening for another team in the NHL, couldn’t think of one?
Carlos Beltran did that feat in MLB after the astros trash can scandal.
Bill Belichick with the NY Jets and Josh McDaniels with the Indianapolis Colts come to mind.
Best coach in franchise history
It’s not entirely clear to me what Babcock asked of the players, but for players to file grievance with the union, I doubt it was as simple as looking at their phones, and there must have been a pretty big fight over it.
Hopefully Vincent can bring the Jackets back to the playoffs.
That’s my confusion here as well. What was he looking for on their phones? Would like to hear Babcock’s side of the story too.
At any rate, that’s the last of Babs in the NHL.
Babcock released a statement already – he said he shared photos with the players and they shared some back so they could get to know each other. Must be a cultural thing – I think most placed in the world would see that as a good thing. Perhaps it was the execution rather than the idea or perhaps there is a vendetta or a bunch of snowflakes. Only those involved will know for sure.
The only thing that comes to my mind are 1. You may/will come across naked videos/pics of players and partners in various acts.
2. Maybe a player is gay, not out, and could have pics/videos that makes it known. Could be plenty of things but these 2 most likely. A player then says no, babs takes offence, then players say what’s the big deal? Our captain did it, you better to! Or something like that, now half the room is against a younger guy who is in his 1st or 2nd year maybe and he gets super offended and it goes from there. Said player feels like he’s ganged up on, outed or not wanting his wife to be shown like that. The players and coaches maybe feel like it’s no big deal but it’s more then meets the eye. I bet it’s something along these lines
I wonder if this is a generation gap issue? Babcock thinking “they’ll think its cool to share photos” when it’s considered invasive by younger players?
Sounds like you are reading a lot into it. You make it sound like Babs commandeered their phones and copied the contents of which there is absolutely no evidence.
I think it’s a worldwide first world problem that young people are socially crippled due to an inability to connect to people when not on a device but from that response alone though, yes, there is a cultural issue; not just a generational issue. In most of the world, when you say “hey lets share some photos and get to know each other” you would put a picture of your holiday, your cat/dog or your family and chat…
fr, ive looked at plently of articles but dont have a answer? what was the issue with him asking? was he forcing them? was he rly just asking to look through the entire camera roll? this makes no sense idk why nobody is talking bout this
Great example of the self righteous Canadian “PC’ness” in action. Toronto media telling us again what is correct in thought and deed. Add in players like Goudreau not wanting to play in Canada because of their crap and it’s “death” to anyone that crosses them.
… Huh?
Lol wut
Garudreau is from New Jersey. He wanted to play closer to home than Calgary.
…and out of Canada….
Canada isn’t close to New Jersey
Clearly you don’t know much about the Gaudreau situation. He has said he was ready and willing to resign with Calgary, he went for a drive with his wife, who is a pediatric nurse and she explained that she would prefer to work in a environment where she could have a bigger impact than in Calgary. One of the biggest children’s hospitals in North America is located in Columbus. Not wanting to be in Canada had NOTHING to do with his decision to sign with Carolina. You can even Google it and in an interview Johnny says he was in tears when he called Treliving to inform him he was signing elsewhere.
*Columbus* not Carolina.
wtf you talking about? this is a US team, a US based league. you think the Toronto media got him fired?
someone got an extra straightjacket
You must be the life of the party geez
Bissonnette is a snitch and the players are as soft as baby poo.
hockey players are soft? because they don’t want their boss looking thru their phone?
tomorrow at work, why don’t you head upstairs and give your phone to your boss and tell em to take as long as they want with it
The ones that complained of invasion of privacy are absolutely mentally soft. I’ve shown pictures to co-workers and others. A couple weeks ago a co-worker asked to see a picture on my phone and I showed them. Either do that or don’t show them. But to parade around like a victim cause a coach wanted to get to know you better? I’d be embarrassed if that offended me. Could you think it’s weird?Absolutely. Offended and a victim? Complete joke.
Well DMiles you’re missing the point. You showed your photos voluntarily. Your boss didn’t demand to see them in order to judge your character, potentially affecting how he treats you. The players obviously felt compelled to show him as he is the coach.
It’s funny, the same people stating the players are too woke or playing victim are the same ones thumping their chests about freedom of speech etc etc. So a player is not allowed to express their objection to an invasion of their privacy? Huh?
Didn’t mention none of that. I was asked and I showed. I could have refused but I didn’t. It’s a picture on your phone. Johnny Gaudreau even said it was nothing. And to be a victim and have someone lose their job over it? It’s pathetic. It’s weak. And it shows who grew up entitled and spoiled and who didn’t. Someone DEMANDING to see pictures on my phone wouldn’t crack the top 1,000 worst and/or uncomfortable things that’s happened to me. It’s crazy. Whatever happened to letting things go? Everyone is so entitled they need to have people lose their job because they’re uncomfortable? Go to therapy and quit your whining. You get paid 6/7 figures to play a game.
You’re not wrong, but you’re also not right. It’s called a choice. And someone shouldn’t hang judging your character over something like that. There’s a lot more to someone’s character than pictures on their phone. Babcock asked if the players had every right to refuse. If he demanded to see them, then he was wrong in doing so.
I’m not saying he’s not a weirdo for asking. But did it really need an investigation? A person losing their job? Couldn’t it just have been a “hey knock it off, people don’t like it.”? Boggles my mind adults act like this. And it’s crazy victimization is a currency now.
Well I guess for the sake of transparency and to be fair to everyone they needed to investigate. Could have gone either way. He could have been absolved as well. Him resigning from the post means there must have been something there. No one is gonna walk away from $8 million for nothing. Either that or he was told you resign or you’re fired. And I don’t think this is a case of victimization. It’s a matter of privacy and being told your personal life is going to reflect on how I view you at work. In some cases it is, but if a player refuses to show photos, they also shouldn’t be judged on that.
With this out of the way, the Toronto media can now get back to covering women’s hockey and all the budding superstars waiting in the wings with the Marlies.
What’s wrong with covering women’s hockey? Pro women’s leagues are some seriously good hockey.
someone clearly lost to a Canadian in their life
“How in the hell you get fired on your day off?!”
Eh? The Canadians are aroused. Hats off to Matt & Trey. They’ve nailed when it comes to Canada.
Who’s Matt & Trey?
They wrote the timeless classics Canada On Strike, Blame Canada and The Canadian Alphabet.
That is who I kinda guess he was talking aboot (see what I did there?).
Why are you so angry Dhillcndsl at Canada for getting Babs fired?
Did you have some bad Poutine the other day? And that has put you in a foul mood.
Columbus BJ is a country club, a total joke as was the Islanders under Charles Wang or the Atlanta Trashers or the Arizona Coyotes.
The president is the ex accountant of a company of the ex-owner. Kekalainen coming from the europeans system (where the game is very different) and the CBJ are absolutly going nowhere with him, and their chief of scouting Trevor Timmins is proven to have detroyed the Montreal Canadiens. And now the Babcock thing, so now they’ve named an non experienced coach as Patrick Roy just won the memorial cup is waiting at home.
This club only purpose is to meet the Columbus community once a week in the corporate lodges. And after they are wondering why the players dont wanna go play there…
Nothing like an anonymous comment forum to bring out the cementheads who think that hockey was better in the old he-man days, and that the sport collapsed the moment they allowed players to wear helmets and goalies to wear masks.
I think it’s clear by now that Babcock fell upward for most of his career.
Makes you wonder what else he did in other stops that got swept under the rug.
His career is over and good riddance. We need to end the “good ol hockey man” stuff and get some fresh blood into the league.
There’s a Burger King in Moose Jaw that would love to hire Babs. Another opportunity for him to work with today’s youth.
I think Babs’ bullying is really misunderstood. He is just trying to get the snowflake element out of hockey. He’s actually a sweet guy. At least his wife thinks so.
Johnny took less to go there.