Mike Babcock Resigns as Blue Jackets Coach

Mike Babcock has resigned as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets following an NHLPA investigation into his interactions with players.

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The Mike Babcock Era in Columbus didn't even make it to training camp.

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that Mike Babcock resigned as coach on Sunday, bringing an end to his tenure less than three months after his hiring before he ever stepped behind the bench.

According to the Blue Jackets, Pascal Vincent will take over as head coach on a two-year contract.

The decision comes as the result of the NHLPA's investigation into allegations made on the Spittin' Chiclets Podcast earlier in the week that Babcock had been asking Blue Jackets players to hook up their phones to his office television and show him the pictures in their camera roll.

When the allegations were initially made, the Blue Jackets quickly issued a statement refuting the nature of the allegations and saying that the request for players to show Babcock pictures of their families was voluntary, with captain Boone Jenner even saying that he had no problem with it. However, upon further investigation, reports surfaced that not all players felt the same.

“This was a difficult decision on everyone’s part, but one we felt necessary to ensure our focus remains on the players and the team’s upcoming season,” Blue Jackets GM and alternate governor Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire Blue Jackets organization, we want to thank Mike for his hard work and the professionalism he has shown in working together on a plan to step down.”

“Upon reflection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction,” Babcock said in a statement.

Babcock's hiring was fraught with controversy from the start. The 60-year-old last coached in the NHL back in 2019 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, with his past handling of players coming to light shortly after he was let go. Following his departure from Toronto, Babcock spent the next years volunteering with the University of Saskatchewan men's hockey team before ultimately being hired by Columbus.

With training camps set to open this coming week, the Blue Jackets will have to adjust to losing their head coach as quickly as possible with Vincent.

“This is a difficult day, but I am looking forward to this opportunity and appreciate the organization’s confidence in me to lead this team,” Vincent said in the press release. “We have a great group of guys that have been working very hard to prepare for the season. My focus will be to work with our staff to help them get better every day and be ready for what we believe will be an exciting season.”

Vincent, 51, was an associate coach with the Blue Jackets for the past two seasons and was a strong candidate for the head coaching position back in June, according to Kekalainen. Before that, he coached the AHL's Manitoba Moose for five seasons and was an assistant in Winnipeg for the five seasons prior. This will be his first NHL head coaching gig.