A jolt for the Oilers legend
Mark Messier is not mincing his words. The former Edmonton captain and six-time Stanley Cup winner has slammed Mike Babcock’s arrival on the Oilers bench. His comments came during an ESPN media availability ahead of NHL opening night. “I am absolutely stunned they hired him,” Messier said. He went further: “I’m absolutely horrified by this whole thing, to be honest.”
The message is blunt. No. 11, whose jersey hangs from the rafters at Rogers Place, is no longer hiding his unease over the move. To him, bringing in Babcock cuts straight to the identity of the franchise he helped drag to five titles in the 1980s.
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The shadow hanging over Babcock
Babcock’s history still follows him around. The 63-year-old has not coached a regular-season game since November 2019. Hired by Columbus in 2023, he quit before coaching a single game amid allegations of invading players’ privacy after asking to see their phones. That episode is still fresh in Edmonton.
Messier also takes issue with the process. He says he agrees with analyst Ray Ferraro on the way Babcock was brought in through the players themselves, rather than through the usual chain of command. In Messier’s view, hockey decisions should stay with coaches and management, not the locker room.
A first game in six years will be watched closely
For all the noise, Babcock will be back behind an NHL bench. His first regular-season game since 2019 is now closing in with the start of the 2026-2027 campaign. The Oilers, chasing a title again, will have to deal with the backlash behind the scenes while getting their season underway. The question is whether results on the ice will be enough to quiet the criticism coming from one of the club’s own icons.
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