Mike Babcock addresses the media as the Columbus Blue Jackets introduce Babcock as their new head coach during a news conference on Saturday, July 1, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. The NHL Players' Association says its executive director and assistant executive director are in Columbus, Ohio, to investigate reports of Babcock invading players' privacy.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kyle Robertson-The Columbus Dispatch via AP
The NHL Players’ Association says its executive director and assistant executive director are in Columbus, Ohio, to investigate reports of Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock invading players’ privacy.
Marty Walsh and Ron Hainsey were meeting with some Blue Jackets players on Thursday as part of the investigation.
Babcock said Tuesday he had done nothing wrong by asking players to show him family photos from their phones, clarifying he was trying to get to know them.
Ex-NHLer Paul Bissonnette said on the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast he was told by an unidentified player that Babcock asked players to see photos on their phones and would then stream them on his television.
Babcock and Columbus captain Boone Jenner said in a joint statement released by the Blue Jackets that the report is “a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.”
Babcock has spent nearly four years out of the league after being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs, with former players criticizing the Stanley Cup winning coach after his departure.
– With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2023.
