Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid reiterated his belief in new head coach Mike Babcock on Monday.
"You name it, he's done it," McDavid said at teammate Zach Hyman's charity golf tournament, per Sportsnet. "It's a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him and learn off him. With where our group's at and what we're looking for, he's the perfect fit. He's not gonna need to come in and find who he is as a coach or find himself in those situations. He knows what he's about as a coach, and it's our job as players to be ready to go."
The Oilers fired head coach Kris Knoblauch in May after falling in the first round against the Anaheim Ducks. Edmonton had lost in the Stanley Cup Final the previous two seasons.
Babcock was hired in June after the NHL cleared him of prior misconduct allegations. He resigned from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 before coaching a game, following reports that he invaded players' privacy.
The 63-year-old hasn't coached an NHL game since being fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019. Babcock won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and guided Canada to gold at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, as well as the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
"As we all know, there's history there. But I think we got that all off the table," Leon Draisaitl said, per Sportsnet. "We had an honest conversation about it. He was very honest about it. I think for us, it's time to move on and look forward to the start of the year, and we're extremely excited."
Hyman, who began his NHL career under Babcock with the Maple Leafs and played parts of five seasons with him, spoke highly of the head coach ahead of their reunion in Edmonton.
"I obviously had a very good experience with Mike in Toronto," Hyman said, per Sportsnet. "I thought that he did a great job with a lot of the young players that were there. The young guys that were there, all of us have had pretty long careers and are still playing. He set the foundation for us. I think he's a phenomenal coach. I think extremely highly of him.
"I'm happy he went through the process with the NHL and the NHLPA. All those questions were answered. I think from a player's standpoint, we're excited for what he brings."
