[News] Mike Babcock resigning as Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach

[jeffman]

[topfiverecords]

..

[Jimdon]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Not all leaders are good ones, but given his age and that experience there is no question that Gaudreau would be considered among the "leadership group."

Moreover, I think it is most likely that IN HIS EXPERIENCE—chatting cordially with the new coach about summer, about his family, showing pics of his little girl, etc.—Gaudreau probably did not find any of this invasive. He most likely assumed that his experience was like everyone else's, and we have no idea how much he knew about what happened to all his other teammates in their meetings with Babcock.

I tend to think, though, that Gaudreau (wrongly) also assumed, based on his relatively benign experience, that this was a situation not worth blowing up the season over. A part of him probably saw just how damaging a scandal could be to their success as a team. Not maliciously, I don't think, but very naively, he assumed this was no big deal.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G (2022) using Tapatalk

I just don't understand how someone who admittedly knows nothing about the situation and who's opinion is based entirely on his own thoughts and assumptions would decide they could tell anyone else what happened or how to feel about it. " no question he's part of the leadership group" because of his age? Or experience of what exactly? "Most likely" "assumed" " I tend to think" "naively". One second you're saying his experience is making him a leader and the next sentence your using it as an excuse and saying it's benign.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

So he was potentially pulling this #### at U of S for the last couple seasons? Those poor students

Edit: 1 season.

[CF84]

I'm glad the NHLPA continued to investigate further into this matter.



I usually have nothing to hide on my phone, but I'll still take the odd pic of a BM if it looks like there is blood in it in case I need evidence for my doctor (I have a few health concerns). I would not be comfortable in showing my phone to an authority figure unless I could make sure I didn't have any health related pictures. I enjoy sharing family pictures when I know I'm going to share them. Some players likely have pictures of their girlfriends that they wouldn't want anyone seeing and they may have never considered a private folder because no one has ever asked them to go through their phone in their entire life. This will likely be the moment that causes some young players make a private folder. I still haven't ever had a private folder and I'm in my late thirties.

What happens if a young player says no? Babcock may have respected that and viewed it as a strength in the individual, but it's even more likely that he would hold it against a young player given his history of extremely narcissistic tendencies. It's one thing to warn a player ahead of time, but it's completely inappropriate to just put a person on the spot. I don't want a person I'm meeting for the first time to see a concerning turd.

These are just some random musings I have on the situation, but I'm happy the team doesn't have to play for someone who plays toxic mind games.

[sureLoss]

From Portzline:

https://theathletic.com/4871621/2023...-organization/

Sure, these interactions were deemed acceptable by veteran players Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau, who both made public statements in defense of Babcock. But the NHLPA began to get to more input from other players — within the Blue Jackets’ dressing room and perhaps beyond — that was much more damning, painting the interactions as nothing less than an invasion of privacy by players who didn’t feel empowered to resist the veteran coach.

Burning question: Did the Blue Jackets know the extent of Babcock’s interactions with players when this was first revealed? If they did know the extent and tried to bury this story before it got started, that says not-great things about the club’s decision-makers, from president of hockey operations John Davidson to general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and others.

But if they didn’t know the extent of Babcock’s invasion of privacy, that says something that should truly concern the Blue Jackets — all the way up to the ownership level.

That would suggest that Blue Jackets players — veterans and/or young players — feel more comfortable speaking their truth to people like Bissonnette and the NHLPA than they are to the people in charge of the Blue Jackets organization. If that’s the case, the McConnell family — as hands-off as any ownership group in pro sports — might have to demand answers.

[Erick Estrada]

You get the feeling that anything anything less than exceeding expectations on the ice this season will result in a regime change for the Jackets.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

I think Biz being an unfiltered voice for the players (particularly those on the fringes) is a purpose he could fulfill that could truly serve the sport.

I just wish he would dump Whitney. The played up Oiler stuff aside, I just can't stand him. And I can tolerate most athletes on those shows.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You get the feeling that anything anything less than exceeding expectations on the ice this season will result in a regime change for the Jackets.

Reading that blurb and if they actually tried to hide things and not listen to players they should be canned asap and never hired in hockey again.

Makes you appreciate how Maloney actually took the exit interviews seriously and what the players said about the abuse and telling Edwards Sutter had to go. Probably not the easiest thing to do with a new job considering the circumstances but it took some balls.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Jimdon

I just don't understand how someone who admittedly knows nothing about the situation and who's opinion is based entirely on his own thoughts and assumptions would decide they could tell anyone else what happened or how to feel about it. " no question he's part of the leadership group" because of his age? Or experience of what exactly? "Most likely" "assumed" " I tend to think" "naively". One second you're saying his experience is making him a leader and the next sentence your using it as an excuse and saying it's benign.

Wow.

You could barely have failed more spectacularly at miscomprehending pretty much everything in my post.

Well done.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G (2022) using Tapatalk

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

This story makes me proud of our hockey ops team that thoroughly reviewed the players' relationships with the coach last season and along with ownership showing the stones to terminate a coach who wasn't good for the group despite still owing him $8M.

Flames may be maligned for many things, but integrity isn't one of them.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The problem with ass holes is they can’t help being ass holes

"People change!"

"He deserves a second chance!"

"How can we know if someone learned their lesson if we don't give them another shot?"

Man oh man. This isn't some young buck teen/early 20s who is still learning life lessons. This is a 60 year old man who has been in positions of power his entire life that has ALWAYS shown traits of franky being some kind of psycopath everywhere he has gone. Yet people think that this time...this time he'll be different.

I hope this blows up in the BJ's face and leaves a stain on that franchise (pun intended). Sickening watching people like this get chances over and over again. Next thing you know, people will be saying Sutter has changed his ways and he will be different next time.

Fire the BJ's staff who courted and stuck their necks out for him. Terrible hire from the moment it was announced. And this coming from someone who has a huge Babcock fan before I learned of his transgressions.

[Hackey]

The situation is strange. Is the entire team together and one by one he's asking to go through their phones? Or he calls them in to his office one by one and is like let me see your phone? And I don't even get the motive. Is he clueless and doesn't see how weird that is or is he actually trying to find something?

[dustygoon]

Just occurred to me. Lost in this and aside from dic pics, what if one of the players was gay.

[stang]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

A sweatpants-wearer would feel the need to include that thought, and word it in such.. layman's terms.

I mean it was Biz’s exact words on spittin chickets when they broke the news.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

People only change if they are broken down to their foundation and forced to sit with themselves and reflect on their transgressions/mistakes. I didn't get the impression that either Babcock or Peters reached that point where they truly had to confront themselves.

They got cushy jobs to help bide their time before taking another run at a pro gig. As for their families? They could chalk it up to he said/she said to save face.

Usually it's people who are divorced, or lose their family, or house or friends who undergo real transformation. These guys never lost the support of those in their corner from earlier in their careers, so they always had validation for who they were, even if aspects of it were highly questionable or outright wrong.

i.e. Hearing about the congrats texts pouring in for Peters when he got the lethbridge hc job made me sick, given that it sounds like he did nothing to make amends for his earlier behaviour. Sounds like a large contingent of people around the game truly didn't give a ####, and that's disappointing.

But maybe Peters will take a different trajectory, who knows. Hopefully he heeds the warning of Babcock's career faceplant

[Samonadreau]

If it wasnt for Biz and SC this duechebag would have continued his sick and twisted ways on CBJ.

I wonder if more players will use this avenue knowing their leadership and/or management may not have their backs.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Scotty Bowman coached 5 NHL teams.....retread?

Let me clarify. A coach the bounces around from organization to organization achieving mediocre levels of success.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Upon first meetings with players, Mike Babcock asked more than one to see pictures on their phones, and this made some of the players very uncomfortable. It's an abuse of power and an invasion of privacy.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G (2022) using Tapatalk

maybe he was just trying to help them turn their Tapatalk sigs off

[SuperMatt18]

To me there has to be more to the story than just the sharing of pictures Because I don't think he's being forced to resign if a player was uncomfortable with it and nothing beyond that.

He either forced somebody to show something they didn't want to share, or he used the pictures in an inappropriate way, or said something inappropriate about one of the pictures.

And that's probably being swept under the rug for the players sake too, because opens a huge can of worms if that gets out.