In My Opinion Mike Babcock Should Never Coach Another Hockey Team
As a hockey guy, of course I’ve been watching the Mike Babcock saga from afar. Incase you’re not up to date on what’s been happening, Babcock supposedly asked to see players phones to look at their pictures. Allegedly, this was to “see what kind of person” they were. I’m not going to pretend to know all the details. but suffice it to say, he resigned and I’m sure if he didn’t do anything wrong, he’d still be the coach in Columbus. Credit to the guys on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast for breaking this story worldwide. I just wanted to take this space to give my thoughts on it.
First off, I know guys who’ve played for him, and not many have anything good to say about him, or his coaching practices. Just the fact that he benched Mike Modano – a future hockey Hall Of Famer – for what would’ve been his 1,500th game, tells you a lot. I’ve never met or talked with Mike (Modano), so this is just me looking at his situation as a hockey legend. I mean, what a scumbag! One of my friends who played on that team told me that he would’ve gladly sat to give Mike that milestone.
Secondly, as a coach, you’re the boss. It looks to me, from the outside, that he really liked to throw his power around. I think what he’s accused of is disgusting and a total abuse of power. Some of these guys might’ve been on the bubble and didn’t want to lose their shot at ice-time, so they probably felt like they had to comply. Just despicable.
Having coached my kids’ teams, it’s obviously at a much lower level, but the purpose is the same – to get the most out of the players and try to mold them into quality people. By time they make the NHL, that second part is already well on its way. But the fact remains, you can’t take your role in a position of power and use it against the players.
When I coached, I had to take “modules” to get my certificates. Since I also coached girls, I had to take extra ones. They went through things you’d never think of, like do not take your cell phone out in the locker room, or to always have another adult in the room with you. Both of these I always adhered to. Yes, we live in different times than when Babcock started, but I’m sure at the level he’s at, they’ve gone over stuff like this.
There’s no excuse for this kind of treatment of players.
-Meltdown-
Alumni Hockey With The Detroit Red Wings Vs. The Boston Bruins Is Coming In Late September
