The Edmonton Oilers named Mike Babcock as the 19th head coach in club history on Tuesday.
He replaces Kris Knoblauch, who on May 14 was relieved of his head coaching duties after three seasons and two trips to the Stanley Cup Finals — both losses. The Oilers lost to the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs in the 2025-26 campaign in six games.
Babcock, 63, arrives in Edmonton having coached nearly 1,500 games. He has a 700-418-164 (and 19 ties) regular-season coaching record over parts of 17 NHL seasons. In 14 playoff appearances, his clubs had a 90-74 record.
He began his head coaching career with two seasons at the helm of the then-Anaheim Mighty Ducks, followed by a long stop in Detroit (2005-15), and four-plus seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-19).
Babcock led the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup in 2008. According to the NHL, he is the only head coach who ever lead teams to a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal (2010, 2014), an IIHF World Championship (2004) and a World Cup of Hockey title (2016).
Earlier this month, the NHL Players’ Association asked the league to conduct an investigation into Babcock’s time with the Columbus club before allowing the Oilers to move forward with Babcock’s hiring.
The NHL issued a statement last week that cleared Babcock to return to the bench.
“The league has completed its review of Mike Babcock’s tenure in Columbus, and of certain alleged conduct associated therewith,” the NHL said in a statement Thursday. “Our investigation has concluded that, even in a light least favorable to Mr. Babcock, there is no current basis to restrict his employment in the league.”
The Blue Jackets hired Babcock on July 1, 2023, for what would have been his first NHL head coaching gig since leading the Maple Leafs from 2015-19. In September 2023, reports emerged that some players felt Babcock invaded their privacy by asking to see their cellphone camera rolls in one-on-one meetings.
At the time, Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and the late Johnny Gaudreau confirmed that Babcock had asked to see photos but said they were not pressured to do so and understood it to be in the spirit of getting to know one another. Babcock reportedly also showed players photos from his phone.
However, younger players reportedly felt uncomfortable with Babcock’s approach, and he already had a reputation for controversial motivational tactics while with as a head coach.
Babcock resigned on Sept. 17, 2023, before the season began.
–Field Level Media
