Another Former NHLer Comes Forward Against Mike Babcock

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David Macintyre
September 13, 2023 (4:31 PM)

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Damning Allegations

Mike Babcock's controversial return to NHL head coaching has recently hit a speed bump with allegations of asking players to show him pictures on their phone's Camera Roll. Now, he's been hit with accusations of something much worse.

Former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore � one of Babcock's most vocal detractors among NHL players � levied some serious allegations against Babcock on his own Twitter account. This comes after Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney, both former NHLers who cohost the popular Spittin' Chiclets podcast, accused Babcock of seeing players' personal photos and having them cast them on AirPlay.

Commodore would also corroborate the claims made by Bissonnette and Whitney in a separate post, ones Bissonnette angrily (and profanely) doubled down on after Babcock and Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner released a statement denying the allegations.

Second Chance Wasted?

Babcock's hire as the new head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets comes after previous controversy over his alleged treatment of Mitch Marner while coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs. This controversy comes while he's very much on a «second chance» as an NHL coach. (Nazem Kadri, who played under Babcock with the Leafs, says he's done this before, but denies any malicious intent on Babcock's part.)

As for Commodore, he has spent years attacking Babcock on his social media accounts � so much that there's an entire «Feud with Mike Babcock» category on his Wikipedia page. He's also recently posted a 40-second rant on his Twitter account about Babcock, throwing cold water over any notion that he's changed his ways since returning to coaching.

As seen on MarkerZone