- Connor McDavid says the Oilers hired Mike Babcock to hold the stars accountable
- Babcock told McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman they share blame for Edmonton’s title drought
- Read below for McDavid’s full comments and what changes come September
Connor McDavid didn’t just sign off on Mike Babcock. He asked for him.
McDavid talked with TSN’s Ryan Rishaug about the hire and didn’t soften a word of it.
“We brought Babs in to be hard on me. And Leon. The top guys, that’s who we want to point the finger at,” McDavid said.
Here’s McDavid explaining the thinking:
The comments trace back to a meeting a couple weeks before the hire became official. Babcock sat down with McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman and told them flat out that they own a share of the blame for Edmonton coming up short.
McDavid said nobody in the room pushed back.
“We had questions for him, and he had questions for us,” McDavid said. “It was a two-way street. I think both sides left the meeting feeling pretty good about where things were at.”
For years McDavid and Draisaitl set their own workload, with their minutes climbing every time a game got tight. That left the depth guys watching. McDavid says that has to stop.
He put it bluntly.
“The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result,” McDavid said. “Babs is different. He gives us a different personality, a different approach.”
Babcock’s arrival in Edmonton wasn’t smooth. His introductory presser got swallowed by questions about his exit from Columbus, and the Oilers spent the week defending the hire.
Watch the full introduction here:
He hasn’t coached an NHL game since 2020. The pitch already worked on his captain. September is when the rest of the room finds out if the new accountability sticks.
