Statement from NHLPA on Babcock seems to confirm the worst following intense investigation
On Sunday afternoon, Mike Babcock resigned as Head Coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets following accusations that he went through players' photo albums on their phones. The allegations came to light last week when Paul Bissonnette revealed on Spittin' Chiclets that players had told him that Babcock had been invading players' privacy. Following an NHLPA investigation and discussions with the league, all parties involved felt the best solution was for Babcock to resign.
Following his resignation, the PA released the following statement:
"Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace. Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club's decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action."
Initially, it appeared that things were fine in Columbus as Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau spoke in support of Babcock and had no issues with the sharing of family photos. However, over the weekend it was revealed that some younger players were uncomfortable with Babcock's request and with the veteran coach probing further into their personal lives than he needed to. Elliotte Friedman reported that one of the most serious concerns was a meeting that occurred away from team facilities that included "several minutes" of looking through a phone. That meeting was not initially in the scope of the investigation, per the report.
Given the situation, it is very likely that Babcock has coached his last game in the NHL. That was in November of 2019 with the Leafs as he had yet to even hold a practice as the Blue Jackets' coach.
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