Columbus Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock denies reports that he invaded players privacy by demanding to see pictures of their family
New Columbus Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock said Tuesday he did nothing wrong by asking players to show him photos from their phones. He made it clear he was trying to get to know them after a report criticized him for invading privacy.
said Paul Bissonnette on the ‘Spittin’ Chiclets’ podcast An unknown player told him that Babcock had asked captain Boone Jenner to show him photos.
Bissonnette, a former NHL player and analyst for TNT, said he was notified. Babcock told Jenner, “Show me the pictures in your phone. I want to know what kind of person you are.”
Babcock and Jenner, in a joint statement released by the Blue Jackets, called it “a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.”
Jenner said the meeting was a good start to his relationship with Babcock and expressed his disappointment.
Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock denied reports that he violated his players’ privacy
On his Barstool Sports podcast “Spittin’ Chiclets,” former player Paul Bissonnette made accusations that Babcock asked players to show him photos of their families
Those accusations were denied by both Babcock and Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner (38).
“During our meeting with our players and staff, I asked them to share family photos via their phones as part of the process of getting to know them better,” Babcock said.
‘These meetings have been very important and useful, not only for me, but also for our players and staff. And to have them depicted in this way is irresponsible and completely incorrect.’
Jenner said Babcock asked him about his family, where he’s from and his upcoming wedding, along with hockey-related conversations.
“He then asked if I had any pictures of my family, and I wanted to share some with him,” Jenner said. “He showed me pictures of his family.”
Bissonnette responded to the statements with a profane social media post telling Babcock to stop.
“It’s enough to put guys in the coach’s room and ask them to connect their phones to airplay mode and grill them,” Bissonnette said on X, the platform formally known as Twitter. “I’ve had numerous players confirm it.”
Bissonnette posted screenshots of text messages he received — reportedly from someone familiar with the team and/or Babcock — saying he had “done it in Toronto and already done it with guys in Columbus.”
Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets’ biggest star and highest-paid player, said at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in suburban Las Vegas that he has had great interactions with Babcock, starting with a 45-minute get-to-know-you session. the weekend of Jenner’s wedding.
Bissonnette responded on Twitter, saying that ‘tons of players have confirmed his reports’
Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau (13) called Babcock’s approach ‘cool and unique’
WARNING: TWEET BELOW CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Gaudreau said Babcock asked him for family photos and the coach showed his as a way to get some exposure.
“I just think it was a really cool and unique way to get to know your player,” Gaudreau said.
‘I thought it was a good starting point to get to know each other.’
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said he spoke with Ron Hainsey, assistant director of the NHL Players Association, and that the league and union investigated the situation and found nothing wrong.
“(Hainsey’s) reports are that the players involved were not concerned at all about the interactions that took place,” Daly said.
“They were not inappropriate, they were not inappropriate, and to the extent that was suggested, it was a misconception.”
Since stepping down as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019, reports emerged of Babcock’s adherence to polarizing and outdated coaching techniques.
Babcock is back in the league after an absence of almost four years.
When the 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach was fired by Toronto in 2019, reports emerged of some polarizing old-school coaching techniques, including asking Maple Leafs player Mitch Marner to list teammates from hardest working to least hardworking .
After taking the job at Columbus in July, Babcock said he has developed as a coach and learned how to better interact with players.
“Change in all of us takes time,” Babcock said this summer. “I think this has given me the opportunity to get outside of my body and look and see what I’m doing and understand that you had to change, you had to grow.”