Edmonton Oilers legend Mark Messier rebuked the team for hiring Mike Babcock as head coach.
"I'm absolutely shocked they hired him," Messier said during the ESPN NHL Opening Night media call Wednesday, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. "I'm absolutely shocked from the stories that I heard from very good, reputable, character people about the way they were treated. It's been no secret."
Messier said he'd never heard of players interviewing a coach before a hire. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were among the Edmonton players that interviewed Babcock before the team brought him aboard. The six-time Stanley Cup champion voiced concern about the leadership group's involvement in decision-making at the management level.
"Maybe the game has changed to the point where that's the way things are going now, where players have that much say," Messier said. "I just don't know. If it does go bad and players are having difficulties, who do they turn to? Because if they turn to the leadership, the leadership is management. There's no separation there.
"I'm just horrified about the whole thing, to be honest with you. I could go on and on and on, but I think you get my point."
Edmonton fired Kris Knoblauch as head coach after the team's first-round exit in the playoffs. The Oilers hired Babcock in June.
Babcock has been accused of mistreating players multiple times. He was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 but resigned before coaching a game due to allegations he invaded players' privacy. He reportedly asked for players' phones, scrolled through their camera rolls, and projected photos onto a larger screen. At the NHLPA's request, the NHL conducted an investigation after the Oilers expressed interest in hiring Babcock and cleared him to return to the league.
While head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2016-17 season, Babcock made then-rookie Mitch Marner rank his teammates based on work ethic and then shared Marner's list with the rest of the team.
Johan Franzen said in 2019 that Babcock had verbally abused him to the point that he had a mental breakdown. Franzen called him "the worst person I have ever met." Babcock coached Franzen on the Detroit Red Wings from 2005-15.
Babcock's hiring was supported by McDavid, who said it was "what we want," and Draisaitl, who called the coach "exactly what we need right now."
The 63-year-old has a decorated coaching resume that includes a Stanley Cup, two Olympic gold medals, and a World Cup of Hockey. Babcock was last behind an NHL bench in 2019 with the Maple Leafs.
Messier played for the Oilers from 1979-91. The 65-year-old was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. He's been an analyst with ESPN since 2021.
