{"id":355468,"date":"2026-06-24T04:07:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=355468"},"modified":"2026-06-24T04:07:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:37:47","slug":"edmonton-oilers-hire-mike-babcock-as-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/24\/edmonton-oilers-hire-mike-babcock-as-head-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton Oilers hire Mike Babcock as head coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Seven years after he coached his last NHL game, Mike Babcock is out of retirement and back behind an NHL bench.<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that Babcock has been hired as the brand new team\u2019s head coach, after weeks of speculation.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is type of prefer it was in 2002 after I joined Anaheim. You\u2019re joining the perfect league on the earth and you’ve a sense of gratitude,\u201d Babcock said at a Tuesday afternoon introduction news conference at Rogers Place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an unbelievable place. I\u2019m a Western Canada guy. The Oil has the fans like no person.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo it\u2019s a special, special thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Babcock said he met with a number of the team\u2019s management and top players, including captain Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, and had a lengthy conversation he said was \u201cphenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe interaction with star players who want nothing greater than to win and inform you how they\u2019re willing to vary and adjust to make that occur, it\u2019s pretty exciting for a coach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He takes over from Kris Knoblauch, who was fired after the Oilers\u2019 first-round loss to Anaheim on this yr\u2019s playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Oilers were cleared to rent Babcock by the NHL on Thursday after the league concluded an investigation into his conduct during his transient stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023.<\/p>\n

The investigation was conducted on the request of the NHL Players\u2019 Association once reports of Edmonton\u2019s interest in Babcock surfaced.<\/p>\n

Joining Babcock\u2019s staff is associate coach D.J. Smith, a former Toronto assistant under Babcock who later coached the Ottawa Senators for greater than five seasons.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tEdmonton Oilers associate coach D.J. Smith speaks to the media as head coach Mike Babcock looks on during a news conference in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\t\t\t\t\tJames Maclennan\/ The Canadian Press\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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Babcock previously coached parts of 16 seasons with Anaheim, Detroit and Toronto, leading the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup title in 2007-08.<\/p>\n

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He last coached an NHL game Nov. 19, 2019, a 4-2 Maple Leafs loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He was fired the following day in consequence of Toronto\u2019s 9-10-4 begin to the season.<\/p>\n

He signed a two-year, US$8 million contract with the Blue Jackets on July 1, 2023, but resigned just before the beginning of coaching camp amid an investigation into reports of Babcock invading the privacy of his players.<\/p>\n

It has been some time since a Babcock-led team has enjoyed significant NHL success.<\/p>\n

The last time he took a team past the primary round of the playoffs was 2012-13, when the Red Wings lost within the Western Conference semifinals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tEdmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock, left, and general manager Stan Bowman delay a jersey during a news conference in Edmonton on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\t\t\t\t\tJames Maclennan\/ The Canadian Press\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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Nevertheless, with a limited pool of candidates and an urgency to win with superstar forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still within the fold, the Oilers opted to rent a head coach with experience and success on the NHL and international levels, though his methods have come under scrutiny at times.<\/p>\n

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Babcock on Tuesday acknowledged the sport and approach to managing players has modified and training styles must evolve too, which he committed to embracing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s so essential while you\u2019re the coach with the final manager and national hockey team that you just\u2019re all aligned.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat I mean by that’s, there\u2019s gonna be plenty of hard communication \u2014 but so long as that communication is simple and behind closed doors and respectful of each other, you’ve a probability to enhance the organization and get well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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