The beginning of Mike Babcock’s tenure in Columbus has been filled with controversy. Babcock, along with Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner, has issued statements denying allegations that players were made to show him pictures on their phones.
During an episode of the “Spittin Chiclets” podcast, former NHL player Paul Bissonnette claimed that Babcock had made Jenner go through his iPhone photos using Airplay on an office TV. According to Bissonnette, this was done to assess Jenner’s character.
Following an investigation by the Blue Jackets, statements from both Babcock and Jenner were released. Babcock deemed Bissonnette’s description of events as “irresponsible and completely inaccurate.”
“During meetings with our players and staff, I simply requested that they share family pictures from their phones. This was done to facilitate a better understanding of each other. The way it was portrayed on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast was a misrepresentation and highly offensive.
“These meetings have been hugely beneficial, not only for me but also for our players and staff. It is disappointing to see them misrepresented in this manner.”
Jenner, in his statement, expressed that the meeting with Babcock was blown out of proportion.
“During my conversation with Babs, we discussed my family, my hometown, my upcoming wedding, and hockey-related matters. He asked if I had any pictures of my family, which I gladly shared. He also showed me pictures of his own family.
“I thought it was a positive first meeting and a good foundation for building a relationship. It is truly disappointing to see it exaggerated in the way it has been.”
Shortly after the release of these statements, former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore corroborated Bissonnette’s account. Commodore stated that he had heard similar stories about Babcock going through players’ and staff’s phones.
“All of this is absolutely true,” wrote Commodore. “I heard about this specific incident in Columbus six weeks ago. Recently, I have heard about it happening to multiple players and staff. I wanted to wait until training camp to disclose it in order to protect my sources.”
Babcock has faced allegations of mistreating players throughout his career as an NHL head coach. Former Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen accused him of verbal abuse, and Babcock reportedly had star forward Mitch Marner rank his teammates by work ethic during Marner’s rookie season.
The Blue Jackets hired Babcock on July 1, following the expiration of his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen stated that the team had gone through a thorough hiring process.
