"Mike Babcock doesn't care about your family": Former NHLer disputes Blue Jackets HC's statement after allegations

By Srihari Anand

Modified Sep 13, 2023 21:53 GMT

Mike Babcock released a joint statement with Boone Jenner on Tuesday stating he asked for players to show pictures on their phones to get to know them better. Captain Jenner corroborated Babcock's statement, saying it was a good way to start off the new HC's relationship with the rest of the team.

Mike Babcock has 18 seasons of head coaching experience in the NHL. Many players have played under him during this time. However, during his time at the helm, multiple players have spoken out about his old school tactics of communication which is harsh, cutthroat and blunt.

Frank Corrado, currently a TSN analyst, played under Babcock in Toronto and shared his experience on TSN 1050's FirstUp show. Corrado said that fans and media can only speculate what actually happened with Babcock and his players. He mentioned his judgement of Babcock is based on his experiences:

"I don't think he handles himself. Well, I think he's socially awkward. I don't think he cares about your family. I know for a fact he doesn't care about your family. All he cares about is himself."

Mike Babcock recently sat down with NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika for a three-part interview. In these, Babcock talked about his communication problems in the past, his plans to rectify them, his vision for the young Colmbus Blue Jackets team and more.

Corrado referred to the three-part interview and said:

"My stomach turned reading this thing because he's talking about how he's got a communication plan for every player. No, he doesn't. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself."

Corrado compares Mike Babcock to John Tortorella

During his time in Vancouver, Frank Corrado played under head coach John Tortorella. Reminscing his days as a Canuck, Corrado said:

"I played for (John) Tortorella. Tortorella is old school, he will get right in your face and he will tell you you're playing like garbage, or whatever the case may be. He tells it to you direct and blunt and you may not like it."

Although Babcock's approach is considered old school, it's not old school enough according to Corrado:

"My issue and a lot of people's issues with the way Babs does things is he doesn't do that. He doesn't get in your face. He doesn't tell you direct and blunt and straightforward. He plays these stupid head games around you. What he does, he dances around it. It messes with your head."