Messier and the Oilers’ coach discuss the situation.
The Edmonton Oilers have experienced a tumultuous offseason, and a hockey icon tossed a grenade into the mix just when things seemed to be settling down as training camp approached. In a recent ESPN interview, Mark Messier, one of the most recognizable players to ever play for the Oilers, didn’t mince words when talking about Edmonton’s choice to bring Mike Babcock behind the bench. The five-time Cup champion in Edmonton was deeply worried about the procedure that led to the hire and called it “shocking.”
What was Babcock’s reaction? Not with venom. Not by deviating. in honor of
High Road for Babcock
On Thursday, only a day after Messier’s scathing criticism was made public, Babcock addressed reporters in a tone that caught many people by surprise. He then spoke about Messier as a player and as a person, saying that he had “nothing but respect” for the Oilers legend.
Babcock characterized Messier as a “hard leader” and a “two-way competitive” power, both during his time in Edmonton and following his transfer to New York. He also shared two personal stories about meeting Messier, one at an Olympic gold medal ceremony where Messier was nice to Babcock’s young daughter, and the other at a Hockey Hall of Fame occasion. Messier treated him and his family kindly, Babcock stated in both circumstances.
“Is one of these teams Team Messier? He won four Cups here as a result. He is older than I am. Competitive, a hard leader, and two-way, when I saw him. went to New York, worked hard, was competitive, and two-way. Authentic leader.
“I’ve encountered him twice in my lifetime. Once, when we were receiving Olympic gold medals here, he dashed about. My daughter was seven or eight at the time, I believe. He treated us wonderfully. The other occasion was at the Hall of Fame event. He treated me excellently. As I stated, Mark Messier is a legend here. Is he associated with ESPN? Is that the correct one? He excels in that capacity. I hold him in the highest regard.”
If he’s aware of the noise around him, here’s a follow-up:
“I woke up this morning and saw my deer images. I needed to remove around 1,000 of them. That’s my social media. My dad made an incredible statement. He remarked, ‘Son, I probably care what you think if your knees hit my kitchen table.’ In other words, it’s about your family and the people around you. The rest is simply a distraction, man. I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
Since being named Edmonton’s new bench boss back in June, a coach who has faced a lot of examination gave a measured and courteous response. Following a dispute over requests he made to players for personal pictures as part of what was called a team bonding exercise, the 63-year-old had not coached an NHL game since 2019 and retired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 before their training camp had even started. Numerous people attacked the event for being too intrusive.
What Messier really stated
Messier’s remarks to ESPN were anything but understated. He claimed that he was “absolutely stunned” by the employment and alluded to tales he had heard from “very excellent, reputable, character people” regarding Babcock’s previous treatment of individuals. However, Messier was worried about more than just Babcock’s performance.
The Hall of Famer also expressed disappointment with the hiring process, notably the role of Oilers players in interviewing and evaluating their prospective coach. Messier expressed doubt about the boundaries between management, coaching, and players, stating that he had never heard of anything like it. He contended that a team’s organizational framework must have a distinct separation of powers, and that if players are directly involved in management-level hiring decisions, player leadership cannot adequately safeguard the locker room.
Messier stated to ESPN, “To be honest with you, I am just terrified about the entire situation.” “But I believe you understand my point, I could go on forever.”
Time will tell if Babcock’s tranquil and supportive reply resolves this issue. The discussion over Babcock’s hiring is obviously not going away anytime soon, and Messier’s remarks have a lot of weight in Edmonton and throughout the hockey community. However, Babcock will have the opportunity to let his coaching speak for itself once training camp begins. The only rebuttal that truly counts could turn out to be how the squad reacts to him on the ice.
