Report: NHL officially begins investigation into Babcock’s 2023 Blue Jackets resignation
Now that the NHL season has come to an end, with the Carolina Hurricanes beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday to win the Stanley Cup Final in six games, the NHL can begin to tackle its offseason duties. It appears the league’s first order of business will be investigating Mike Babcock’s resignation as the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ head coach back in 2023, according to Elliotte Friedman.
NHL to officially begin investigation in to Mike Babcock’s 2023 Columbus resignation. sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/nh…
The NHL’s investigation into the Babcock’s resignation has been precipitated by the Edmonton Oilers‘ apparent interest in hiring him to be their new head coach. Edmonton has reportedly consulted with the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) to determine if there any objections that need to be resolved before hiring Babcock.
Babcock’s resignation from the Blue Jackets in 2023 came roughly two and a half months after he was hired for their head coach position, and in the midst of allegations that he had invaded his players’ privacy by requesting to see personal photos from their cellphones. The NHL and NHLPA both launched investigations into these allegations, and Babcock decided to resign from the role ahead of training camp.
The purpose of the NHL’s current investigation into Babcock’s resignation from the Blue Jackets is to determine if he would be subject to league-levied discipline before being able to take over head coaching duties in Edmonton, or to see if he is even currently eligible to be hired by the Oilers.
The allegations in Columbus were not the first instance of Babcock getting accused of mistreating his players. There was the reported incident from the 2016-17 season, when he was the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, when he forced a then-rookie Mitch Marner to make a list of teammates ranked according to their competitiveness, which Babcock then revealed to other players on the team. There have also been allegations of his abuse of players, particularly Johan Franzen, from his time with the Detroit Red Wings.