Former NHLer Winnik says Babcock is ‘the only guy that has ever made me hate hockey’
A former NHL player is speaking out on a potential new hire in northern Alberta.
While appearing on TSN 1050’s First Up, former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Daniel Winnik was asked whether the Edmonton Oilers should pursue hiring former Leafs head coach Mike Babcock.
"He's the only guy that has ever made me hate hockey...he's just a bully" Former NHLer Daniel Winnick shared his staunch opposition to the possibility of the Oilers hiring Mike Babcock as their next head coach. Listen to Winnik's full interview HERE: tsn.ca/radio/toronto-…
Winnik, who donned the blue and white during Babcock’s first season with the club during the 2015-16 season, was very blunt about his thoughts on the Stanley Cup-winning bench boss.
“No, do not do it,” Winnik said. “He’s the only guy that ever made me hate hockey.”
When asked to explain why, Winnik explained how, after returning to the Leafs following a brief stint earlier in the 2014-15 campaign, Babcock made the game he loved not enjoyable, despite what he believed was a positive start to the year. However, a lower-body injury seemed to have caused a riff between the two.
“I just hated coming to the rink. He’s just a bully. … I think it started out fine with me and Mike. I was playing well. I was coming off my career year when I came back here, and then I had a high ankle sprain happen in Washington in November…I missed five games, that was it, with a high ankle sprain. Should’ve been out for eight weeks. Came back, and I always thought skating was my strongest attribute, and I just couldn’t skate. I wasn’t the same player, and then it just cratered from there.”
Winnik added that Babcock rode him for the next little while. He also stated that star players receive special treatment from him, while others are the brunt of his antics.
“He’s on me all the time, and just.. I just think how he treats people is not great. That’s been well documented at this point. Sure, the top guys aren’t going to have a problem, he’s just going to let them play…I just don’t think his style works anymore.”
This comes as Babcock has been cleared to coach in the NHL following an investigation from the league. There’s no question he has a checkered past, with allegations of abuse and antics that haven’t been openly welcomed by his former players. He was last in the NHL in the fall of 2023, when he resigned as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, even before coaching a preseason game.