- Sidney Crosby says the Oilers are getting a “really organized” coach in Mike Babcock
- Crosby won Olympic gold under Babcock in 2010 and again in 2014
- Read below for what Crosby said about Babcock’s bench work and how Edmonton’s room handled the hire
Mike Babcock has not had many character witnesses since Edmonton hired him. Sidney Crosby just volunteered.
Crosby was asked about the Oilers’ new head coach at the NHL Player Media Tour on Tuesday, and he went straight to the parts of the job Babcock does well.
“Really good bench management when it comes to matching lines, just a feel for the game. He was really good at painting a clear picture on how he wanted us to play and what guys’ jobs were.”
That came from Crosby’s sit-down with Michael Traikos of The Hockey News:
He also called Babcock “really organized,” which carries some mileage coming from a player entering his 22nd NHL season.
The Penguins captain knows the work firsthand. He played for Babcock at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and won gold both times, and the Vancouver run ended with Crosby’s overtime winner against the United States.
Edmonton’s decision landed badly in plenty of corners. Babcock has not coached a regular-season game since 2019, and his last playoff series win came back in 2013.
His 78-day stint in Columbus ended in 2023 after an NHLPA investigation into him asking players to show him photos on their phones. The league later cleared him to coach again.
Watch Babcock’s introduction in Edmonton:
Inside the room, the reviews were warmer than the ones outside it. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both met with Babcock before the hire was finalized and put the uncomfortable stuff on the table first.
Check out how Edmonton’s stars talked about it publicly:
Babcock arrives with a 700-418-183 record over 17 seasons and sits 10th on the all-time playoff wins list. He is the only coach to win a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, a world championship and a World Cup.
None of that was ever the argument against him. The argument was about how he treats the people in his room, and Edmonton is betting a McDavid-Draisaitl window on the answer.
Crosby’s endorsement will not move anyone who objected on principle. What it does is tell Oil Country what the bench is supposed to look like once games start counting.
