CBJ isn't paying him a severance lol. They're not generating enough revenue to afford that. Babcock and the rest of the front office very likely realized what an egregious privacy violation it was to request access to personal phone data content.
- jfkst1

Don't be so sure about that. The other option for Columbus is paying legal fees in a contract dispute. It's extremely unlikely Babcock walked away with nothing.

I don’t think it was illegal to ask a player or players on your team to share photos from their phones but context and intention is key here. What’s that saying….past actions are best predictor of human behaviour….

If Gandhi was named as your new head coach and strode up to you asking for personal information….it would probably peak your curiosity but you won’t hesitate to share. But if Himmler asked you the exact same it’s a completely different story.

Don't be so sure about that. The other option for Columbus is paying legal fees in a contract dispute. It's extremely unlikely Babcock walked away with nothing.
- Zezel

I agree. There were reports that the decision was made by Friday but CBJ management spent close to 48hrs negotiating his exit.

There is a difference between "tell me about yourself, share some pictures" and "please leave your phone with me". Mike commodore (when he played for babcock) said he did that sort of stuff in toronto too. it wasnt about getting to know the players. It was a test. it was a tool for leverage. Thats some head game BS right there. The guy has learned nothing. There is a difference between a tough coach and a bully who embarrasses players. I really like my boss but i am not giving her my phone and passwords.

Babcock isnt old school, he's just a jerk. I wouldnt consider quinn, sullivan, laviolette, ruff, cassidy, or Torts as warm and fuzzy guys. Funny but you never hear this stuff about Torts or ruff that you hear about babcock. And i would consider them old school.

I don’t think it was illegal to ask a player or players on your team to share photos from their phones but context and intention is key here. What’s that saying….past actions are best predictor of human behaviour….

If Gandhi was named as your new head coach and strode up to you asking for personal information….it would probably peak your curiosity but you won’t hesitate to share. But if Himmler asked you the exact same it’s a completely different story.
- Turnitaround

I would wonder why he wants to lay beside my 13 year old daughter to be honest.

Let’s hope the tactics like Babcock’s are history. There is no reason to act like that other than just to be a straight up awful person. Trying to motivate players is one thing but intimidation and humiliation need to go. All of the people here defending Babcock or criticizing the “snowflake” players are the same ones who tell guys who sit out with concussions after getting deliberately elbowed in the head to “keep your head up next time!” Ignorant. That segment of NHL fans (and there are a lot of them outside and inside the game) are what is keeping the league a third-rate niche sport.

If this happened only the way Jenner and Gaudreau said it did, Babcock would still have his job today. This firing came after interviews with the players by the player's association. A lot more aggressive stuff was happening that's not public knowledge, especially to the young guys in the locker room.

Has nothing to do with "old school coaching" and everything to do with asking players to show their personal, private material.

You let the prisoners run the prison, the results will be bad. You let the players coach the coach, the game becomes boring for the fans. Might as well watch beer league hockey.

Maybe you can define old school coaching. Benching players. Challenging them to be better. Bag skates. Naming someone in the media for poor results. Cursing. That sounds old school. Nothing wrong with that. Usually those who say this is wrong too have never actually played competitive sports.

His mistake was the minute he touched someone's phone. That's an intrusion of privacy and a power position in which a young player would be intimidated to say no. Pretty simple.

He simply had to give the players notice and permission to opt out. Hey cooleus. For our meeting on Friday I was hoping you could share some photos just to get to know you better. You can email them to Lucy sometime this week who will coordinate. I've attached a photo of my family, my fishing boat, and the rink that I learned to skate. If you'd rather not share photos we can just talk over coffee too. Chat soon.

If he did that, zero problems. But sure, let's somehow tarnish all past coaching methods...
- Cooleus

100% This really isn't about old style versus new style coaching. Fifty years ago if a coach asked a player for his wallet to go through snapshots he had in it that would have been just as weird and just as wrong. CBJ is lucky this ended so early. One would think Babcock would have been very careful after being given a second chance. That he wasn't very likely portended that more and worse stuff would have happened.

You let the prisoners run the prison, the results will be bad. You let the players coach the coach, the game becomes boring for the fans. Might as well watch beer league hockey.
- powerenforcer

so the game will be boring because coaches can't look through their players' phones? what a terrible take.

You let the prisoners run the prison, the results will be bad. You let the players coach the coach, the game becomes boring for the fans. Might as well watch beer league hockey.
- powerenforcer

Don't watch it then, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

The rest of us will enjoy hockey.

This is so ridiculous….. a bunch of talking heads that had no chance of competing in a team sport in any capacity come together to trash a guy that has lead his teams to 3 cups and won it once. Whatever methods he wanted to use to win, build chemistry whatever it takes( besides physical punishment) is his business. An NHL coach is hired to win period . Babs wins (except in Toronto which the organization is a loser for 56 years straight, don’t think that’s on him) . The loser here is the Blue Jackets fans ! I hope little Mitch and his 11 mil salary somehow overcomes the harsh mental brutality that was imposed on him but such a mean beast . LMAO
- jsrstl1

Knowing that you’re growing old and the world is leaving you and your ideas behind is tough eh…

Look You’re either being willfully ignorant or intentionally stupid!

I would wonder why he wants to lay beside my 13 year old daughter to be honest.
- AdamFrench

Haha yeah. Wait I don’t get it!

Don't be so sure about that. The other option for Columbus is paying legal fees in a contract dispute. It's extremely unlikely Babcock walked away with nothing.
- Zezel

Exactly. Not just extremely unlikely but impossible. Babs’ lawyer would be never allow that. When it was decided that he would be fired then the conversation among lawyers shifted to contract settlement. Make no mistake this was a firing. Resign or be fired.

They should have made drawings about what they did this summer.🫠 I wonder what Badcock's means to an end was here? This experiment should defy the weak from the strong? He always has played on fear.

Has nothing to do with "old school coaching" and everything to do with asking players to show their personal, x-rated private material.
- jmatchett383

Agree, i am still traumatized after watching my uncles private film photos back in the day, at his cabin.

Eklund: Does the Babcock Situation Mean the End of “Old School Coaching?”
- Eklund

This would be an excellent topic to discuss on your hockeybuzz podcasts. Not sure why you stopped doing them.

Haha yeah. Wait I don’t get it!
- Turnitaround

He makes a good point. When Ghandi was in his 70s he slept naked with his grandniece who was in her teens to test himself to prove that he could abstain from sex. Nobody found anything wrong with that in that time and place. Today it would be abuse. It’s a parallel to Babs. Acceptable decades ago but not now. Also Himmler wouldn’t ask for photos.

learning about his new players and their families gets a guy fired

I am not a Babcock fan but this hit job is up there with Sonny Corleone at the toll booth
- homiedclown

Dude, that wasn't a reasonable ask.

He could have learned about the players families by TALKING TO the player.

Maybe you can define old school coaching. Benching players. Challenging them to be better. Bag skates. Naming someone in the media for poor results. Cursing. That sounds old school. Nothing wrong with that. Usually those who say this is wrong too have never actually played competitive sports.

His mistake was the minute he touched someone's phone. That's an intrusion of privacy and a power position in which a young player would be intimidated to say no. Pretty simple.

He simply had to give the players notice and permission to opt out. Hey cooleus. For our meeting on Friday I was hoping you could share some photos just to get to know you better. You can email them to Lucy sometime this week who will coordinate. I've attached a photo of my family, my fishing boat, and the rink that I learned to skate. If you'd rather not share photos we can just talk over coffee too. Chat soon.

If he did that, zero problems. But sure, let's somehow tarnish all past coaching methods...
- Cooleus

100% agree

Let’s hope the tactics like Babcock’s are history. There is no reason to act like that other than just to be a straight up awful person. Trying to motivate players is one thing but intimidation and humiliation need to go. All of the people here defending Babcock or criticizing the “snowflake” players are the same ones who tell guys who sit out with concussions after getting deliberately elbowed in the head to “keep your head up next time!” Ignorant. That segment of NHL fans (and there are a lot of them outside and inside the game) are what is keeping the league a third-rate niche sport.
- Sams_Dog

Please put me in the group that thinks a guy that got a concussion should keep his head up next time.

It's weird seeing the about face many in the media have made in the past eight hours. Tepidly ready to accept Babcock even post allegations, until suddenly they weren't. Gotta give it up to Biz for sticking up for his convictions on this and doubling down in defense of the little guy. The fact this news never made it to the PA shows how toothless that institution is.

The man never should have been hired again. Babcock has a history of playing mind games and power plays on players who have limited agency and everything to lose. He's a bully, weirdly passive aggressive, and he has a rep for it. If he had half a brain he would have known he would have to walk on eggshells and be squeaky clean. So on top of being a bully, he's demonstrated both a remarkably poor ability to exercise humility, and an inability to learn.

Sad reality for the man is without his past rap sheet, nothing likely comes of this. But given what's he's done before, he walked into a minefield choosing to wear a blindfold. The fact the man didn't apologize for his actions, and the fact the Blue Jackets thanked him on his way out is egregiously embarrassing. Many players will not trust him, and you can't coach under those conditions.

Imagine he orchestrated this whole thing just so he could earn $8M without actually ever having to do any coaching. He's not smart enough for that, but hey - it's mind games, I wouldn't put it past him. Get outta the kitchen.

What you said. 👍

Please put me in the group that thinks a guy that got a concussion should keep his head up next time.
- JLO961

I don't disagree with this but I don't see the correlation. Exercising a position of power to make players show private photos from their phones (maybe they had nude/erotic photos of their wives on there) has nothing to do with a player not knowing to skate with his head up.