Mike Babcock is back in the spotlight following reports that he could be headed to Edmonton as the Oilers’ next head coach. The news has sparked plenty of debate across the hockey world, as Babcock looks to return to an NHL bench after several years away from the league.
There is no questioning his coaching credentials. Babcock has won a Stanley Cup and two Olympic gold medals during his coaching career. He has also collected more than 700 wins behind an NHL bench, making him one of the most accomplished coaches of his generation.
At the same time, his success on the ice has often been overshadowed by questions about his coaching style. Over the years, several former players have accused Babcock of crossing the line between demanding and demeaning.
Those incidents have followed him throughout his career and continue to influence how many fans and players view him today. Here are five stories that helped shape Mike Babcock’s reputation around the NHL.
Mike Modano’s 1,500-Game Milestone
Few stories are brought up more often when discussing Mike Babcock’s coaching style than what happened to Hall of Famer Mike Modano during the final season of his career.
In 2010, Modano joined his hometown Detroit Red Wings for what would ultimately be the last season of his legendary NHL career. As the season wound down, he sat at 1,499 career games played and was on the verge of becoming just the 21st player in league history to reach the 1,500-game milestone. Instead, Babcock made the decision to healthy scratch Modano late in the season, leaving him one game short when he retired.
The decision left many players, fans and media members questioning the move. Years later, Modano admitted that it was still a “bitter pill” to swallow, while former Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he would have intervened had he known Modano would finish his career at 1,499 games.
Scratching Jason Spezza in His Leafs Debut
Mike Babcock’s final season in Toronto got off to a rocky start before the Maple Leafs had even played a game. In October 2019, veteran forward Jason Spezza was set to make his regular-season debut for his hometown team after signing with Toronto during the offseason. However, Babcock made the surprising decision to scratch Spezza for the season opener against the Ottawa Senators, the team Spezza had spent more than a decade playing for.
The move raised eyebrows among fans and media, many of whom felt Babcock had unnecessarily denied Spezza the opportunity to face his former team in a meaningful moment. While Babcock defended the decision as a hockey choice, it quickly became another example cited by critics who viewed him as overly rigid and lacking empathy when dealing with players. Just weeks later, Babcock was fired by the Maple Leafs, bringing an end to his tenure in Toronto.
The Phone Photo Controversy in Columbus
In 2023, Mike Babcock was attempting to make his return to the NHL after nearly four years away from the league. The Columbus Blue Jackets hired him that summer, hoping his experience could help guide a young roster. Instead, his tenure ended before it ever truly began.
Just weeks after being hired, reports surfaced that Babcock had asked players to show him personal photos on their phones during one-on-one meetings. While some veterans said they viewed the exercise as an attempt to build relationships, other players reportedly felt uncomfortable with the approach. The situation quickly became a major story across the hockey world and prompted involvement from the NHL Players’ Association.
As scrutiny intensified, Babcock resigned in September 2023 before coaching a single game for the Blue Jackets. The episode reinforced many of the concerns that had followed him throughout his career and remains one of the biggest reasons his name continues to spark debate whenever an NHL job opens up.
The Mitch Marner Teammate Ranking Incident
Of all the stories attached to Mike Babcock, this is probably the one Leafs fans think of first. During Mitch Marner’s rookie season with Toronto in 2016, Babcock reportedly asked the young forward to rank his teammates based on work ethic. Marner complied, believing the exercise would remain private between himself and his coach.
According to reports that surfaced years later, Babcock then shared Marner’s rankings with some of the players who had been placed near the bottom of the list. The revelation sparked widespread backlash around the hockey world, with many questioning both the purpose of the exercise and how the information was handled.
The story gained even more attention because it involved a teenage rookie trying to establish himself in the NHL. For many hockey fans, the incident became one of the clearest examples of why some players viewed Babcock’s coaching style as unnecessarily manipulative and overly personal.
Johan Franzen’s Allegations of Mental Abuse
If one story did the most damage to Mike Babcock’s reputation, it may have been the comments made by former Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen. Unlike some of the other incidents on this list, this was not a single moment or isolated disagreement. Instead, Franzen described a pattern of behaviour that he claimed took place over several years while playing under Babcock in Detroit.
In a 2019 interview, Franzen called Babcock “the worst person I have ever met” and accused the coach of mentally abusing players. He also claimed Babcock would frequently single players out, berate them and create an environment that took a toll on their confidence and well-being.
While other stories raised questions about Babcock’s methods, Franzen’s comments suggested the impact may have gone far beyond hurt feelings or locker-room conflicts. For many fans, it was the moment when criticism of Babcock shifted from being about tough coaching to concerns about how players were treated on a personal level.
There truly is never a dull moment with Mike Babcock.