Coach Mike Babcock has been influencing NHL players’ thoughts for more than 20 years.
He frequently spends time at home with his family while he isn’t skating.
Who is Mike Babcock?
Canadian ice hockey coach Mike Babcock is from Saskatoon.
When he was hired as the head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, now simply known as the Anaheim Ducks, he started his NHL coaching career.
He has since played with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings.
Babcock is the only coach to be a member of the elite Triple Gold Club and has also led Team Canada.
A select group of athletes known as the Triple Gold Club have won the Stanley Cup, the Olympic Ice Hockey Competition, and the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
With Team Canada, Babcock first won the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in 2004. The Red Wings then won the Stanley Cup in 2008, and in 2010, Team Canada earned the gold medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, he and Team Canada also took home the gold medal.
Babcock played for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Saskatoon Blades and Kelowna Wings prior to becoming a coach.
Who is Mike Babcock’s wife, Maureen?
Babcock’s wife, Maureen Babcock, has supported him throughout his coaching career.
While some parents would want their children to follow in their footsteps, Babcock and his wife just hope that their three children will make a meaningful contribution to society.
“This is what the measure for my wife and I is: The impact our kids have on society,” Babcock told SportsNet.
“So, when someone sits down one day and says, ‘What matters to you?’ I’m not going to say the Stanley Cup or Olympic gold medals. I’m going to say my kids. And maybe one day their successful marriages and their grandkids and all those.
“That’s what matters to me. That’s the measure of me as a man, not this other stuff,” he said.
At this time, additional information on Maureen is unclear because she often stays out of the spotlight.
How long was Mike Babcock with the Columbus Blue Jackets?
After five seasons with the Maple Leafs, Babcock’s tenure came to an end in 2019, and he didn’t receive another professional employment offer until 2023.
He signed a two-year contract with the Blue Jackets in July of that year, but he was never able to play in an NHL season.
He made his resignation and the appointment of associate coach Pascal Vincent official in September 2023.
According to ESPN, the news was made public amid claims that he demanded to see images on players’ cellphones invading their privacy.
“Upon reflection, it has become clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be too much of a distraction,” Babcock said in a statement.
“While I’m disappointed to not have had the opportunity to continue the work we’ve begun, I know it’s in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization well in the upcoming season.”
Paul Bissonnette, a former NHL player, made the claims before on a podcast, claiming that Babcock had ordered Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner to use AirPlay to show his camera roll at a team meeting.
Babcock acknowledged that he did request family photos from Jenner and other players and staff members, but he did it in an effort to get to know them better.
According to ESPN, he claimed that the podcast’s portrayal of the conversations was “a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.”
Jenner released his own statement about the situation, stating that he was “happy to share” photos of his family with the coach.
“I thought it was a great first meeting and a good way for us to start to build a relationship,” Jenner said.
“To have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing,” he added.
Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau had similar feelings, confirming to ESPN that he also shared photos with Babcock, calling it a “great meeting.”
“We got to share things together, pictures of our family,” Gaudreau told the outlet.
“I was a little upset to see the way it was handled and how it came out … but nothing you can do about it. We got off to a great start, had a great meeting with him.”
