The Edmonton Oilers are less than a week away from officially starting their first campaign under new head coach Mike Babcock. While the club hired the highly controversial bench boss back in June, the upcoming regular-season opener is forcing the hot-button issue back into the spotlight.
After Connor McDavid recently spoke about how he would handle Babcock if the perpetual line stepper got up to any of his old behavior, another Oilers franchise legend, Mark Messier, was asked to give his take on the club’s hiring. And it’s safe to say that Messier is not a fan.
Messier addressed the situation with a long quote during ESPN’s 2026 NHL Opening Night media conference call on Wednesday:
My mom always told me if I didn’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all (laughing). I am absolutely shocked they hired him. I’m absolutely shocked from the stories that I heard from very good, reputable, character people about the way they were treated. It’s been no secret.
I agree with Ray the way that he was onboarded through the players interviewing him is absolutely something that I’ve never heard of before. Maybe the game has changed, and that’s the way it’s going. Great. I don’t know. It certainly wasn’t like that.
I think there has to be a separation of powers on the structural level of any team. I think from the management to the coaching to the players, there has to be a divide. The leadership of your team have to protect the players inside the dressing room. How can you do that when you’re directly involved with the decisions they’re making at the management level and hiring of the management and coaches? I don’t understand it.
Maybe the game has changed to the point where that’s the way things are going now, where players have that much say. I just don’t know, if it does go bad and players are having difficulties, who do they turn to? Because if they turn to the leadership, the leadership is management. There’s no separation there.
I am just horrified about the whole thing, to be honest with you. I could go on and on and on, but I think you get my point.
Messier is well qualified to have an opinion, having spent 12 seasons with the Oilers and notching 1,034 points (392g, 642a) in 851 games. He previously served as captain of the Oilers for three seasons after Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and won five Stanley Cups during his entire tenure in Edmonton.
Babcock spent nearly three years out of the NHL before the Oilers brought him back into the league. His most recent coaching job ended in September 2023, when he resigned as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets just months after being hired.
Babcock’s reputation had already taken several hits from his previous stops with the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. His brief tenure in Columbus only added to the scrutiny after reports emerged that he had asked players to show him personal photos from their phones shortly after taking the job.
Babcock, who coached the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup, has maintained that he did not believe his conduct in Columbus crossed a line. He later said his wife ultimately convinced him to step down. His career has also included several other specific controversial episodes, including alleged verbal abuse of Red Wings forward Johan Franzen, who eventually called Babcock “the worst person I have ever met.” During his time in Toronto, Babcock also asked rookie Mitch Marner to rank his teammates privately, then shared the list with the players he ranked.
The Oilers hired Babcock, 63, to replace Kris Knoblauch, who had led Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup finals before a first-round playoff exit last season.
