The Columbus Blue Jackets made a coaching change, and it’s easy to wonder what comes next. Which teams are looking to make a change now that one was made, and who might be getting the call? One name worth mentioning — if only for his past accomplishments — is Mike Babcock. it’s been almost been a decade since he last coached an NHL game.
That’s one strike against his return but he is a winner, and after watching Joel Quenneville return to the NHL, there’s a good case for him to return as well. Both older coaches were fired with the assumption that they wouldn’t return but Quenneville, who noted how he changed since the Chicago Blackhawks scandal and admitted he was wrong for his actions (or lack thereof), is back in the NHL. Babcock, who was fired by the Blue Jackets before coaching a game there, can similarly apologize for how he approached players in the offseason where he asked for their phones and pictures of their families (which made some uncomfortable).
Another strike against Babcock is that he’s old and a retread. He’s in his 60s, and considering he hasn’t been successful in a while, front offices think he’s lost his fastball, or specifically, his old-school style of coaching doesn’t work. The counterargument to that is the Blue Jackets hiring Rick Bowness, who is older but still has the drive to coach and will bring a disciplined style behind the bench.
So, why is Babcock’s situation different?
The first thing that comes to mind is the trust the players lost in him. His tenure with the Blue Jackets unraveled because he awkwardly asked players to show them pictures of their families on their phones. He wanted to get to know the players better, yet did so in a manner that made them uncomfortable. It’s one of the many signs that he’s out of touch with the players in the league, who have changed a lot over the years. It’s easy to see why players wouldn’t want him around.
It’s also worth adding that Babcock hasn’t won in the NHL in a while. He made a name for himself with the Anaheim Ducks in the early 2000s, leading them to multiple deep playoff runs. Then, he made his mark as one of the best coaches of the decade when he led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup title in 2008. He hasn’t had that success since, and while the game and its systems have changed, he hasn’t.
Which leads to the big reason he’ll likely remain out of the NHL. It’s that he’s not the coach players want back in the league. Yes, he can win but his old-school style makes him an unpopular coach. Like John Tortorella, a team brings him in to toughen them up. That style of coaching is outdated, and while there are disciplinarians, they have different techniques. It’s the big difference between him and Quenneville.
This is a good time to keep some names in mind for a coaching carousel or midseason changes. Pete DeBoer is bound to get a call, whether it’s this season or in the offseason. Jay Woodcroft might as well, since he’s a players-friendly coach who has been behind multiple benches as an assistant since he was fired by the Edmonton Oilers. Then there’s always a good chance Dean Evason is back behind a bench. That said, as intriguing as a Babcock hire would be, it’s unlikely.
