Edmonton Oilers make controversial coaching hire official
The Edmonton Oilers have officially named Mike Babcock as the team’s next head coach.
The controversial hiring comes after weeks of rumours connecting the Oilers and Babcock. Earlier this month, it was reported that Babcock had emerged as the favourite to land the job after Edmonton could not get permission from the Vegas Golden Knights to speak to Bruce Cassidy.
Babcock had reportedly met directly with Oilers owner Daryl Katz as well as key players in Edmonton’s leadership group. Those meetings went well enough that the organization decided to move forward with Babcock.
Edmonton made the announcement official on social media on Tuesday morning.
The #Oilers have named Mike Babcock as Head Coach. https://t.co/WSNNP3Yrni
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 23, 2026
On top of hiring Babcock, the team also announced that they have brought veteran coach D.J. Smith on board to be an associate coach.
Smith had recently served as the interim head coach of the LA Kings before being ousted by Peter Laviolette earlier this month. The 49-year-old previously worked for Babcock as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The #Oilers have named D.J. Smith as Associate Coach.
https://t.co/s0OhINFnVT— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 23, 2026
This was not a straightforward hire for the Oilers, as Babcock had to first be cleared by the NHL to return to work in the league. The 63-year-old coach was being investigated after allegedly invading the privacy of players while head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets during the summer of 2023.
When those allegations initially hit, it caused a media storm that eventually led to Babcock resigning without having coached a single game in Columbus. The NHL completed the investigation last week, clearing a path for Babcock to be hired by the Oilers.
On top of the Columbus incident, he also has a long history of alleged player mistreatment.
Babcock has not coached in the NHL since 2019 and has not won a playoff series since 2013 while coaching the Detroit Red Wings.
He started out his NHL coaching career with the Anaheim Ducks in 2003 and helped lead the team to the Stanley Cup Final that same year, losing in seven games to the New Jersey Devils.
He would then get hired by the Detroit Red Wings in 2005, leading them to a Stanley Cup championship in 2008 and losing in the final in 2009 to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Babcock left the Red Wings in 2015 to join the Maple Leafs, where he led the team on several impressive regular-season campaigns, but couldn’t find a way past the first round of the playoffs. He was eventually fired by Toronto in 2019 and has not coached an NHL game since.
The veteran coach is expected to meet with Edmonton media at noon MDT at Rogers Place.