Babcock reveals what he said to Edmonton Oilers stars before getting hired
Mike Babcock seems to have already left an impression on a few of the Edmonton Oilers’ star players.
The 63-year-old coach was officially hired by the Oilers on Tuesday morning, alongside associate coach D.J. Smith, and went through a long introductory press conference with Edmonton media.
Babcock fielded questions on everything from his controversial past to the road that eventually led to him being named head coach of the Oilers. Among the things he talked about was a conversation he had with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman before he was hired.
“We broke down what was going on in the playoffs, we walked through the clips, we walked through how it’d be done here, and how it’s going to be done moving ahead,” Babcock said. “Leon, Connor, Zach Hyman, and the rest of this leadership group wanna get better, and that’s what they’ve asked of me.
“Obviously, in that time period, we had gone through enough things, and talked about enough things, that they felt comfortable with the process, or I wouldn’t be here.”
General Manager Stan Bowman alongside Mike Babcock & D.J. Smith address the media after being named #Oilers Head Coach & Associate Coach, respectively. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/LxGa6Nl4P8
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 23, 2026
The players obviously left that meeting feeling good about Babcock and his ability to get the Oilers to that next level. We had known that McDavid had already given his stamp of approval on Babcock early into this process, but now we know that Draisaitl and Hyman were also involved in the process.
Considering all the baggage that Babcock brings to the Alberta capital, this is a decision the players had to be absolutely sure about. The veteran coach told the media that the players told him that they expect Babcock to make this team better, and he wanted to make sure they were ready to buy into his system.
He gave the media an all-timer of a quote while discussing this, referring to himself in the third person.
“I was very clear with them. Unless you’re 100 per cent all-in on Mike Babcock, I have no interest in being the coach,” Babcock said. “I just talked to them again yesterday, they know exactly what’s to be expected, and we’re gonna make sure that happens.
“We have to do whatever’s best for the team on a daily basis. We want the fans of the Oil to be beyond proud. It doesn’t matter what I say here; it matters what we do going ahead.”
Babcock has rallied Edmonton’s most important players into supporting him as the next head coach of the Oilers. That is fine and dandy in the summer months, but we’ll see if that holds up once training camp rolls around in September.