Mike Babcock will resign as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, days after Spittin’ Chiclets podcaster Paul Bissonnette accused him of improperly viewing players’ smartphones.
Initially, the team, the NHL and the NHLPA were satisfied when captain Boone Jenner and 682-game NHL veteran Johnny Gaudreau indicated there was nothing nefarious with what Babcock did. However, the organizations reversed course when some of Blue Jackets’ younger players said they weren’t comfortable with what had occurred.
According to multiple sources, one of the most serious concerns was a meeting that occurred away from team facilities that included “several minutes” of looking through a phone. That was beyond the scope of what was initially understood to have occurred.
NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and assistant executive director Ron Hainsey flew to Columbus to meet with Blue Jackets players on Thursday. After a lengthy meeting described as “intense,” the situation was added to the agenda of a regularly scheduled NHL/NHLPA meeting on Friday. Some of Babcock’s former players in Toronto were contacted as part of the investigation.
There was no initial word on Babcock’s successor.
