TALKING POINTS: Mike Babcock unveiled as new Oilers Head Coach

Mike Babcock was named the 19th Head Coach in Edmonton Oilers franchise history, along with D.J. Smith being appointed as an Associate Coach, by Oilers General Manager & Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman in a press conference inside the Hall of Fame Room at Rogers Place on Tuesday.

In the nearly 40-minute media availability, Babcock reflected on his lengthy career as an NHL Head Coach, discussed the opportunity to return behind the bench, meeting with the Oilers leadership group, and more.

Smith, who started coaching as an assistant under Babcock in 2015 with the Maple Leafs, highlighted their relationship, discussed how they'll hold one another accountable, and his affinity for being a player-first coach.

In addition to several other talking points, Bowman began by elaborating on Babcock & Smith's hiring process before discussing his shared desire to elevate the roles of both veteran and younger players.

Read the full transcript and watch the entire media availability below.

Tim Shipton, EVP, Communications & Gaming, OEGSE delivers the opening remarks:

“It’s exciting to see everybody. Good morning, everyone. On behalf of the Katz family and the Oilers organization, we just want to thank everybody for joining us today."

"Certainly, it’s an exciting day for the organization and our fans across Oil Country. I appreciate everybody being here for this media availability with our general manager, Stan Bowman, our new head coach, Mike Babcock, and associate coach D.J. Smith. Welcome to Edmonton, gentlemen. We’re excited to have you.”

“We'll begin with brief opening comments, and then we'll open it up to the floor for questions from the media. So with that, Stan, I'm going to turn it over to you for some opening comments.”

Stan Bowman provides his opening comments on the hiring of Mike Babcock:

“Thanks, Tim. Welcome everyone. Thanks for taking some time here. I thought I would start by giving a recap of where we've been, then turn it over to Mike for his comments."

“We met the last time in this room, probably six or seven weeks ago, at the end of our season, and at that time I explained that the plan was to do a thorough review of our team. We had a disappointing end to the season, so we wanted to evaluate all aspects of the team, and that's where we left it. So a lot has happened since that point. Those conversations that I had revolved around internal discussions with management. We did a thorough analytical review of what happened this season on the ice. I also had the exit meetings with the players, got their perspective on things, and then we took some time to reflect as a management group on where we wanted to go. We made a decision that we felt we needed a new voice to be the leader of the team from the coaching perspective. So we made the change, and then that set in motion a new process, and we are trying to find the next coach. So we spent some time discussing what attributes the coach would ideally have, and part of it was in analyzing our season and what went well, what didn't go well, and also trying to look at what we think we need in order to get to the next level."

“One of those attributes that we decided were imperative was a coach with experience, and the last two coaches that the Oilers hired were first-time coaches. I think that at the time they were brought in, it made a lot of sense, and it was a really good fit. I think you have to look at where the organization is right now, and at this moment in time, I think we need something different than we had before. The qualities being looked for were a strong pedigree and a lot of experience. This is a hockey market here. The fans are passionate, the expectations are high, so we were looking for somebody who clearly has experience, and also having a winning pedigree was important.

“So we set out to speak to those people. We had a process that we put in place. We went through it. I talked to some different coaches, and I remember placing a call to Mike. I know Mike a little bit. He was in Detroit when my dad was there as an advisor, so I've had a friendly relationship with Mike for a while, and I know those days in Detroit when he was coaching, and my dad had just finished coaching, they would talk hockey every day, and my dad would talk about Mike's mind for the game and his attention to detail. So I was familiar with Mike, but I hadn't spoken to him in a few years. I placed that call, and kind of learned what he was doing, and also asked him if he was interested in talking about the position in Edmonton.

“I remember his answer was like, ‘I've got a great thing going on here. I've enjoyed my life,’ but he said, ‘Your situation is really interesting. Let me think about it.’ So we had a couple of follow-up conversations, and then that led to an in-person meeting with me, Mike, and [President of Hockey Operations] Jeff Jackson. The three of us met for probably three and a half hours. We talked about our team, had a lot of deep dives on a variety of topics, and I left that conversation very impressed with Mike's knowledge of the game, knowledge of our team’s perspective and insight on how he could be a helpful member of where we're going with this team. I was really impressed. I went into that meeting really with no expectations. I had a lot of questions to ask. I walked out of there very impressed.”

“Part of the conversations in that meeting, Mike said that he would want to have a conversation with some of the players just to understand where their minds are at as well, and I'm sure Mike will get into that. So then that took place as well. Mike met with some of our players. The next part of the process was a meeting with ownership, so this stretched out for a long period of time. Once we crossed all those bridges and we really felt Mike was the guy, then we reached out to the NHL to contact them and get their thoughts on Mike returning to coach for us, and they wanted to do a review of things, and it took a little bit of time, so we were patient with that. At the conclusion of that, they said that they put their release out about a week or so ago, and then we moved forward. So that's what took us here today.

“Very excited to be sitting here in front of you with these two great coaches. D.J. was also part of this process recently. Once Mike was excited to join our staff, we started talking about how we could make this an elite coaching staff, and D.J.’s experience as a head coach, as well as an associate coach, he's done a little bit of everything. He's got a great track record, so I'm excited and I'll turn it over to Mike.”

Mike Babcock speaks for the first time as Oilers Head Coach:

“Thanks very much, Stan. I think you covered everything I was going to say, but well done. Thanks [to my wife] for coming here today and being with me, and thanks for agreeing to let us have this opportunity. Then for my kids, I know you'll be watching. I love you. I appreciate your support. To me, today feels kind of like it was in 2002 when I joined Anaheim. You're joining the best league in the world, and you feel grateful. It's an unbelievable place. I'm a Western Canada guy. The Oil has fans like nobody, so it's a special thing."

“I have to tell you, I was enjoying retirement. I never thought that we'd be back in this room or that I’d be coaching again. My son was coaching. I get to break down lots of clips and watch lots of hockey because he's involved, so you get your juices that way. But I never thought of this. Stan kind of told you what happened when they reached out. The little caveat, though, was knowing that I was going to get together with Connor, Leon and Zach. That was worth the drive, I’ve got to tell you, that kind of changed everything."

“Stan said when I sat in the meeting with him, Jackson and Harrison [Katz], after three and a half hours, it was very evident that there was an alignment there. We went back and forth on what we had to do to become championship material, and I left that meeting thinking, ‘This is pretty good.’ When I sat down with the players, that was just phenomenal. So the interaction with star players who want nothing more than to win and tell you how they're willing to change and adjust to make that happen is pretty exciting for a coach.

“I have to tell you, I went through in detail the changes that would have to be made for us to have success when it mattered, and when they said they were all in, like Stan said, the next step was to get together with the ownership group. It's so important when you're the coach of an NHL team that you're all aligned with the general manager. What I mean by that is there's going to be lots of hard communication, but as long as that communication is straightforward and behind closed doors and respectful of one another, you have a chance to improve the organization and get better. That's what those four hours were. I was so impressed. You know, I'd really like to thank Daryl at this time. Just the way he stood up here in the last three weeks, I'm so impressed. I'm impressed with his family and what he's done, so I'm thankful.

“Just to wrap up here, obviously, a lot of things have changed since I talked about 2002. It's 2026 today. The leagues changed, the players have changed, and you have to change and grow as a coach. You just have to. I know from experience that what won at the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 couldn't win in Sochi 2014. You have to adjust, you have to get better, you have to change, and that's the process that starts here tomorrow. We're very excited to get going, and we're really thankful for this opportunity. Thank you."

Babcock on why he chose to walk away from the Columbus Blue Jackets organization:

“Well, [the reason] I chose to walk away was straightforward, and I appreciate the question here, because it was very evident before the year started that I hadn't benched anybody. I hadn't talked to anybody, I hadn't sat anybody out, and it was evident that we weren't together as a staff. Right from the get-go, my wife gave me a call, and she said, ‘It's time to get out of there.’ I had been retired, was pretty good at it, and I got back to being retired.”

Babcock on if he mishandled the situation in Columbus:

“No. To be honest with you, anytime you make anybody feel uncomfortable in your life, you should take a look at yourself, and you should say, ‘How could I do that better?’ I think that's what you do as a person, you try to always be better at what you do. The situation in Columbus has been reviewed, and I'm thankful to the NHL and NHLPA for doing that. It didn't work out for us there, but we're excited about making it work here.”

Babcock on what he’s done since leaving Columbus in 2019 to prepare himself for another coaching opportunity:

“Yeah, I think that's a great question. I think the big thing is just about trying to improve yourself and get better. I'm really fortunate that I have three adult children. We talk daily about how you improve and what you do to get better. I'm really comfortable with the group we're going to have here surrounding me. I'm really comfortable with the management team. I'm comfortable with the interactions I've had with the players and how we've walked through how the interaction is going to be and how straightforward it is. Obviously, they're comfortable, or I wouldn't be here. I thought that was important to have that happen. So a week in, they can't be suddenly uncomfortable. We went through that whole process to make sure we're moving ahead here. As I said, I'm excited about the opportunity.”

Bowman on the Oilers hiring process as they chase a Stanley Cup:

“I guess I look at it a little bit differently. We certainly do care about the people we work with every day, and it matters that those we interact with have good experiences. That's important to me. I've communicated that to Mike, D.J., and the whole staff here. There's been progress in sports over the last 10 to 15 years to the point where you have to understand not just what makes athletes tick, but also the staff who support them. We're all in this together. We're a big family, and there's a trust level that is important here, that I need to trust Mike, that he's going to operate that way, and he needs to trust me that we're going to do the same thing with everyone that we interact with. So it's important what we do from this point forward.

“I understand the questions that you're asking. There are going to be people wondering. We can't change the past, and really what matters is our actions. Our words matter as well, but I think everyone here who's skeptical wants to see what actually happens and how we interact with our players. That matters to me, and we've had great conversations and been very open, clear, and explicit about what we expect. There's nothing wrong with holding players accountable for their performance, but also doing it in a way that's respectful, and that's what we expect here.

“I'm excited about where we're headed. I think Mike's got an incredible knowledge of the game of hockey, but also, as you go through experiences as we all have, you grow from them. I believe in talking to Mike at length, so that you recognize how you can operate differently moving forward. It's exciting to think of those possibilities.

Babcock on the conversation he had with members of the Oilers leadership in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman prior to his hiring:

“Thanks for the question. When you're sitting with those players, number one, you're having fun, but they've played the game long enough and they're good enough players. They have opinions about how things should be. I'm fortunate as a coach to have had lots of success, and I have thoughts on how things have to be. We discussed them in detail. We broke down what was going on in the playoffs. We walked through the clips, we walked through how it would be done here and now, how it's going to be done moving forward, and we talked about Leon, Connor, Zach and the rest of this leadership group about how they want to get better. That's what they've asked of me, and they've told me we have to be better, and we expect you to make us better. I said, ‘Well, that's great to talk about in June, but when camp starts and you're making a guy do things, you might not be so happy.’ They said, ‘No, that's not how it's going to be.’

“We were all committed to winning, and in that time period, we had gone through enough things and talked about enough that they felt comfortable with the process, or I wouldn't be here. I was very clear to them: unless you're 100 percent all in on Mike Babcock, I have no interest in being the coach.”

Bowman on the risks involved with hiring a coach in Babcock who hasn’t coached an NHL game since November 2019 for an Oilers team well into its Stanley Cup window:

“Well, I wondered the same thing. I had questions about that for Mike when we met about how he hadn’t been behind the bench for a while, and I think the one thing with coaches of Mike's level of experience and accomplishments is that they don't forget how to coach. Sometimes, perspective away from it is not a bad thing. I was impressed with his level of detail and how close he's still following the game. I think it helps that his son was working and he was serving as a resource to him. So when I asked him about specific things that are going on in the game today, he was right on it. His perspective and insight into that was like riding a bike for him. I think when that first practice hits in training camp and by the time you get to the regular season, his instincts and his experience are going to lead the way.”

Babcock on how he looks at his time away from hockey and his opportunity to return behind an NHL bench with the Oilers:

“I had a few drinks with [Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville] there at the All-Star Break with him and his wife. My wife and I asked him exactly the same thing, and he said, ‘Well, the first exhibition game, you kind of figure out how to run the bench again, and then you get rolling.’ So just like Stan said, I spent a year at the University of Saskatchewan hiring their next coach and ended up with my son. I've done that. But since that time, my son's been in the National Hockey League, either with D.J. in Ottawa or St. Louis or there in Anaheim. So you're watching NHL games, breaking them down, and talking about it all the time.

“My skating… [smiles] they’re going to buy me some new skates. I might have to get out there a little bit and take a twirl before camp, or someone could be going down.”

D.J. Smith on working under Babcock and how the process unfolded for them to reconnect in Edmonton after he began his coaching career under him in Toronto in 2015:

“I'd just like to jump in. Unfortunately, Jim Hiller was let go in LA, and I was given the opportunity to take over. The first person I called right away was Mike. I know that he follows the game. I gave him a couple of projects. It was good to give him some stuff to do and tell him to have a timeline [laughs]. But I can tell you just today from our first interaction with the staff in the back room, what we went over is not what I think works or what he thinks works – it's what the league says works by numbers.”

“The first thing we did was systems. Who's the best at it? Why are they the best at it? Is our personnel at that level to do it that way, or do we have to look at another way? Just the way it ran, it flipped the clock back real quick about 10 years. When Mike told me about the players, how bad they want to win – and I, as well, am craving winning a Stanley Cup – that's why I'm here. I'm going to do everything I can. I think I'm going to coach close to my thousandth game this year in the National Hockey League, and whatever Mike's missed out on him, I'm sure I'll fill him in quick, and then he'll take back over about a second later."

Babcock on respect in the locker room and how to hold players accountable the right way:

“I think that's a great question. Being hard on people is often confused with telling the truth. I think when a kid sits at your kitchen table and is one of your children, and they ask you a question, you should tell them the truth. That's called love. Sometimes the truth is hard for them. No matter what happens when you coach – when you scratch people, when you sit them out, when they're at the end of your career and you don't play them – it's hard for them. You try to do that as respectfully as you can. Why? Because you think you're a good human being. That's the right thing to do. Sometimes, it's not perceived that way. But I think the other thing is, and I thought Stan said it great, is that anytime you're out of something, you're allowed to grow as a human being. You're out to get better."

“I think what this league's all about is getting better. The other thing I said and will reiterate is that my children are at the age in their careers where they have an opinion on everything, and they sure have an opinion on their dad and what he says and his tone and how to be respectful. I actually don't think my intentions are wrong that often. I think sometimes my tone is for sure, and we have to work at that. What I've done by hiring D.J., and [Assistant Coach Paul McFarland] has been with me before and [Head Athletic Therapist TD Forss] and I have been together since 1993 in Spokane, we're surrounded by people that are going to make you accountable and better. They're not afraid of you. They've worked with you. They're friends of yours, but they also know what's right. I think that's our job, from ownership to the management team through the coaching staff and the players, is to make each other better. That's what we're going to do.”

Smith on his relationship with Babcock and knowing when to speak up:

“Yeah, for sure. But I think a lot of times [passion] is misconstrued. Mike was as hard on me as a young coach as any player or a lot of players. It took me some time as a coach. In my first year with him, I had to figure out where we were going and how he did things. I think knowing him and having his son Michael come live with me in Ottawa and being the eye in the sky there when my buddy Bob Jones got sick, I know his personality. I know that he wants to be calm on the bench, and in certain situations, he is really calm on the bench."

“We're going to do whatever we have to do in the back. I'm not afraid to tell Mike the truth. When I was a rookie coach, I just didn't know the NHL. To say you can win in junior and come to the NHL thinking it's the same, it's absolutely not true. You have to learn the league; you have to learn what's right, what's wrong, what works, what doesn't. Here I am in my 12th or 13th year now, and I know that one thing I love is the players, and I think that's been well broadcast around the league. I love to talk to players, and I'll continue to do that."

“I'm not afraid to tell Mike I think we should do it this way. Ultimately, he's the head coach and has to make those decisions, and that's why he's won a lot of championships and gold medals. So I guess a long answer, but certainly if I feel something, I'm going to say it.”

Babcock on holding all players accountable and including younger players in the process to make them a bigger part of the solution here in Edmonton:

“Well, I think that's a great question. What I think is a huge priority here is creating depth within the organization, and everybody on this team has to be important. I'm not just talking about players; I'm talking about the coaching staff doing a better job, so everyone on the team is important. It’s interesting you say that I'm harder on the best guys by far than on the guys trying to survive every day. If you're going to have success, all you have to do is watch what happened in this year's playoffs. Everybody on that team's got to be important, right down to the guys that don't play every single night. The more depth you create and the more they feel important, the better chance you have of having success."

“So I actually heard everything you said and believe the opposite. I believe we're going to empower all those players, and they're going to love it as much as anybody. I think it's the big dogs that are going to be going, ‘He's going to make me do that? He wants me to do that?’ I think it's harder on them."

Bowman expands on Babcock’s answer:

“That's something we talked about during the hiring process. One of the biggest things that we need to do to be successful next year is to have more of a team than we did last year. It was far too tilted for just a handful of players, and that puts a huge load on those guys. It's a ton of stress and pressure. The players love to play, but I think that they played too much, and there was no room for the other players to play more. Mike has been very clear on that.

“The first time we started talking about the roster, that was one of the things, and I didn't let him know what I was thinking. It was music to my ears when he said we’ve got to get more players in the game here. You’ve got to get more guys involved. You’ve got to give them roles that they can embrace; that they may not be great at right away. It doesn't just happen in games 1, 2 and 3 of the season. We got to work through it, but we have to get to the point where we have a real team, because then those players feel better about themselves, their teammates feel better about them, and they start to believe this guy's going to make a difference.

‘I'm not playing as much as I was, but that's because this guy's playing more and he's doing a great job.’ We have to get there. It's not going to necessarily be a straight line to getting there, and that's the art of coaching. But these two guys here and the rest of our staff, they understand that. Mike said there needs to be alignment from the top down, and we see it the exact same way. We can't have another year where we have these players that are so marginalized, and their minutes are low, and they don't have any role on the team. That's not going to happen.”

Bowman on whether the Babcock hiring might make it more difficult to attract free agents:

“I guess that remains to be seen, but no, that's not a concern. Just the conversations we had with our two guys who we re-signed in Dickinson and Murphy, we had great chats with both of them. At the end of the day, players are focused on their own preparation and their game. Certainly, they think about things like coaches, but I think at the end of the day, they’ve got to prepare themselves and do what they can to come in and win. Coaches want to win, and they want to put good players on the ice. So as a player, I think you're looking for that opportunity, and everything Mike just said is that we're trying to find more roles for guys."

“So if you come here, you're going to have the opportunity. We're looking to give more players bigger roles than they had last year.”

Bowman on if the Oilers are “on the clock” with McDavid beginning his two-year extension in 2026-27:

“I think I've been asked that question maybe from the first day I started about being on the clock, so I don't know how much more on the clock we are now than we were two years ago. So, no, I don't think anything changes. Mike commented about how badly those guys want to win. That's the kind of common thing throughout this whole thing: we're doing everything we can to give our team the best chance to win. And when you win, guys typically want to keep winning, so that's our objective and that's not going to change.”

Babcock on what will make his approach with star players different than previous Oilers coaches:

“Yeah, those are all really good coaches. I know them all really well, and they would have done their thing here. I wasn't here. I don't know what happened. All I know is the conversations I've had with these gentlemen. I just talked to them again yesterday. They know exactly what's expected, and we're going to make sure that happens. So we have to do whatever's best for the team on a daily basis. That's what we're going to do.

"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. The reality is that's what's going to happen. We're just going to make the team more inclusive and everyone more important. Those guys are going to be huge players in it, but they're the ones asking for this, and sometimes when you're 18, you don't think like that. When you want to win a championship, that's how you start thinking."

Babcock on walking the line between being truthful and disrespectful:

“Well, I think I answered this, but I'll answer it again. I think the biggest thing about it, and I've already said it to these guys, is that I'm going to be as open and honest with you as I possibly can. I believe in interaction. They're old enough, and I know for a fact that I've coached Hyman for four years and he's going to be in my office telling me what he thinks. They're men. They're going to tell you what they think."

"I think interaction is important as well. I know with my wife, sometimes something comes out of my mouth and I wish I could reach and grab the words and pull them back in. Those things are going to happen. You don't want them to happen. They're going to happen. But I think you're allowed to apologize either way and help each other better. I think the understanding clearly, though, is we're here to help them get what they want, and we all want the same thing.”

Babcock on how he judges himself as a coach:

“I am a big reader, but I’m not a big social media guy, so I can't really tell you. This is what I know: I have good people in my life who tell me when I'm out of line. That's what these guys are for. That's what Stan is for. When I'm out of line, they're going to tell me, and I'm going to do something about it.”

Babcock on what needs to change in the players to bring a Stanley Cup to Edmonton:

“I don't know if you heard of this guy named Steve Yzerman. He played in the league for a long time, scored tons and tons of points, and then a gentleman named Scotty Bowman came there and didn't score quite as many points, but won three Stanley Cups."

“Stevie's a good friend of mine. He'd tell you in a second he'd rather win the Cups. We're not asking him to score less. We're asking him to do things right, to make everyone else on the team important and play in a different way, not different than their game, but in a different way. I've walked through this in detail with them. They say they're in.”

Babcock on if having McDavid & Draisaitl will be similar to when he had Datsyuk and Zetterberg while coaching in Detroit:

“Yeah, I mean, obviously, those were elite players who knew how to play without the puck. We had Nick Lidstrom, don't forget about him. We had an unbelievable group, but those guys wanted to win. No one worked harder than Nick Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg. No one worked harder. No one did it better. No one helped make the players more accountable than those guys, so that's what these guys have asked for. That's what they want. That's what they want to do. They want to have success.”

Bowman on the timeframe for interviewing Bruce Cassidy from the Vegas Golden Knights:

“We went through that process. I laid it out at the beginning when discussing talking to coaches. It wasn't a long list. You can probably figure out the guys we wanted to talk to based on who had experience and pedigree, and Mike was on that list. Once we started the process with Mike and we had that in-person meeting, it became apparent that he was the right guy for this job.”