If anyone expected the grumpy old man who yells at clouds to come in with a new, softer approach as the 19th head coach in the Edmonton Oilers franchise history, Mike Babcock didn't give those people what they wanted. 

The unapologetic Babcock sat in front of a packed media gallery in the Hall of Fame Room at Rogers Place, all of whom were wondering if he'd repent. Instead, he said that the Oilers' top players are the ones asking for this. "They know exactly what's expected, and we're going to make sure that happens, and so we have to do whatever's best for the team on a daily basis. That's what we're going to do."

Babcock was asked whether he ever felt he crossed the line during his multiple tenures as an NHL head coach. "To be honest, no," he responded. The best he would offer is some inner reflection on what he did or said, suggesting he can learn from it and be a better coach. In the same breath, he started name-dropping those around him and hinted they'd be his guardrails. 

He talked about how the players are men now. They'll call him out when it's required. D.J. Smith was hired as an associate coach, making head coaching-type money to help do the same. GM Stan Bowman will ultimately be there to keep things from going off track. 

All of this was to suggest that the Oilers know what they're signing up for. He's not coming in to be anything other than what Mike Babcock is. 

He called his sitdown with the leadership group -- Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman -- incredible. He was excited about interacting with star players who want nothing more than to win and who tell you how they're willing to change and adjust to make that happen. "It's pretty exciting for a coach. I have to tell you, I went through in detail the changes that would have to be made for us to have been successful."

He reiterated that the group of players want what's coming. 

“…we walked through how the interaction is going to be, and how straightforward, and obviously they're comfortable, or I wouldn't be here. And I thought that was important to have that happen, so they can't be suddenly uncomfortable.”

When asked about how he's going to ensure he doesn't cross over the line, he responded:

In other words, Babcock is coming in guns ablazing, and he is prepared for the players and his staff to tell him when he's gone too far. Still, he's going to push... and push hard. 

"They've told me, we have to be better. We expect you to make us better. I said, that's great to talk about in June, but when camp starts and you're making a guy do things he might not be so happy. They said, no, that's not how it's going to be. We're all committed, all in on winning, and obviously, in that time period, we had gone through enough things and talked about enough things that they felt comfortable with the process, or I wouldn't be here. I was very clear, unless your 100% all in on Mike Babcock, I have no interest in being the coach."

The Oilers are all-in.

Does that mean Babcock won't read the room and try to be a bit more understanding? Perhaps he will. 

"The other thing I said, and then I reiterate, is my children are at the age in their careers, they have an opinion on you, they sure have an opinion on their dad and what he said and his tone and how to be respectful. I actually don't think my intentions are wrong that often. I think sometimes my tone is for sure. We have to work with that."

However, he also left it to his staff and others to ensure they're holding him accountable and recognizing when things have gone too far. 

There are people on this staff, including D.J. Smith, who are not afraid of him. "They've worked with you, they're friends of yours, but they also know what's right, and I think that's our job, right from the leadership of the management team, coaching staff, and the players, it's to make each other better, and that's what we're going to do."

Smith said, "I'm not afraid to tell Mike, I think we should do it this way. Ultimately, he's that coach, Mike's got to make those decisions, and that's why he's won a lot of championships and gold medals. So, I guess to a long answer, but to say certainly, if I feel something, I'm going to say it."

Babcock was asked about what the Oilers need to do to improve. It starts with getting more people involved. It can't just be the stars who contribute to wins. 

That led to questions about his history with depth guys and younger players, to which Babcock disputed the narrative that he wasn't hard on the elite guys and only pressed the role players. "What's interesting, I'm harder on the best guys by far than on the guys trying to survive every game, but if you're going to have success, all you have to do is watch what happens this year's playoffs. Everybody on that team's got to be important, right down to the guys that don't play every single night, and the more depth you create and the more they feel important, the better chance you have to have success."

He noted to the media members all calling him out, "So, I actually heard everybody said I believe the opposite. I believe we're going to empower all those players, and they're going to love it as much as anybody. I think it's the big dogs that are going to be going. He's going to make me do that. He wants me to do that. I think it's hard to remember."

Babcock didn't dive into the Xs and Os; that will come as camp gets under way. This was more about addressing the elephant in the room. 

Bowman noted, "We're all in this together. We're a big family and there's a trust level that is important here that I need to trust Mike that he's going to operate that way and he needs to trust me that we're going to do the same thing with everyone that we interact with, so it's important what we do from this point forward."

He added, "I think everyone here is skeptical, they want to see what actually happens, and how we interact with our players, and that matters to me, and we've had great conversations, been very open, clear, explicit about what we expect. There's nothing wrong with holding players accountable for the performance, but also doing it in a way that's respectful, and that's what we expect here, so you know I'm excited about where we're headed."

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