Former NHL Defenseman Reveals How Mike Babcock Bullied Him

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Pat Quinn
October 7, 2023 (10:49)

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Mike Babcock's bullying tactics as a head coach in the NHL have come out more and more since he was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in November 2019. More have since come out since he was initially signed to coach the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2023 but had to resign before training camp even started as he obviously did not learn to curb those bullying tendencies.

How their paths crossed

Jakub Kindle played as a defenseman full-time with the Detroit Red Wings between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons. He was traded to the Florida Panthers late in 2015-16. He would play one more season in the NHL, for Florida, before heading back overseas to play in Europe.

Mike Babcock coached the Detroit Red Wings between 2005 and 2015. It has been told by many players in that time frame how Babcock treated staff, media members, Mike Commodore, and Johan Franzen. Little has even been known about how he treated other players, until now.

Kindl recaps his treatment

From the Czechia news media site, Bez Frazi, Kidle stated:

«I wasn't his favorite player from the beginning, and even though (Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland) liked me, Babcock seemed to constantly test what I could handle and he let me know that he didn't like me as a player. I couldn't stand him as a person.»

«I saw him making jokes with the others, but with me, he barely exchanged a few word. If he did, it was to humiliate me. For example, he once put me on the right side of the defense, and I was looking at the lineup in disbelief. He was just passing by and heard me, so he looked at the lineup and said, 'Yeah, you're on the right side. You have trouble playing on the left, and I'm making it harder for you, right?'"

Kidle was able to get some measure of revenge on Babcock when the Red Wings and Leafs faced off in November of 2015, as he scored the overtime winner.

«They knew how hard it was under Babcock. That evening, I received a lot of messages from people all over the club, from chefs, guys who parked our cars, facility personnel, and from the people who worked in offices. They all congratulated me."

As Read On HockeyFeed - Jakub Kindl shares how Mike Babcock «humilated» him