Edmonton Oilers head coach Mike Babcock has responded to Hockey Hall of Famer and club legend Mark Messier’s criticism of his hiring.
During a recent ESPN media availability, Messier expressed his disappointment and directed criticism at Oilers management and the team’s leadership group.
When asked about the comments on Thursday, Babcock chose not to escalate the situation and instead spoke respectfully about the Oilers legend:
“One of these teams is Team Messier, right? When I watched him, hard leader, two-way, competitive. Went to New York, hard, two-way, competitive. Real leader. I’ve dealt with him two times in my life. He treated us great both times. Mark Messier is a legend here. I have nothing but respect for him,” said Babcock.
Here’s how fans on X reacted to Mike Babcock’s response, with one tweeting:
“Not a fan of Babcock… but good answer… good answer.”
Another chimed in:
“I feel bad for the most vulnerable player on the Oilers that Babcock will surely target. He can’t help himself. He’s just going to play his personality-disordered games in a more covert and passive-aggressive manner cause the light is on him now.”
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
“Love this from Bab’s. Can’t wait to see him succeed and shut everybody up!” a third fan wrote.
“This guy has clearly worked on his PhD in PR somewhere between Columbus and Edmonton,” one X user opined.
“Classy. Opinion shifting classy,” another chimed in.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Lots of players have talked about the way he is, hard to not believe people that had firsthand experience with him,” added another.
What Mark Messier said about Mike Babcock
During ESPN’s media call, Mark Messier did not hold back when discussing the Oilers’ decision to hire Mike Babcock.
The Hall of Famer questioned the process that involved the team’s leadership group and expressed serious concerns about the lack of separation between players and management.
“I think there has to be a separation of powers on the structural level of any team. I think from the management to the coaching to the players, there has to be a divide. The leadership of your team has to protect the players inside the dressing room. How can you do that when you’re directly involved with the decisions they’re making at the management level and hiring of the management and coaches? I don’t understand it,” Messier said.
Due to Mike Babcock’s controversial past, the Oilers have faced significant backlash for the hiring. Babcock replaced Kris Knoblauch, who led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances in 2024 and 2025.
Edited by Abhishek Dilta
