Blue Jackets Name Mike Babcock Team’s Ninth Full-Time Head Coach

There is a new era in Columbus. 

The Blue Jackets announced Saturday the hiring of Mike Babcock as the franchise’s ninth full-time head coach. 

“Our goal at the outset of this process was to find a coach to give our players the best chance to succeed through structure, discipline and experience as we continue to build a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup championship,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in the team's release.  “After a very thorough and lengthy process we are pleased to welcome Mike Babcock as the next head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.”  

Babcock, a 60-year-old Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native, has 17 years of NHL head-coaching experience with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs, compiling a regular-season record of 700-418-19-164 (.602 PTS%) in 1301 games. In 14 playoff appearances, he’s posted a record of 90-74 (.549 PTS%) that includes a Stanley Cup title in 2008 and two other trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2003 with Anaheim and 2009 with Detroit. His 700 regular-season wins and 90 playoff wins rank 12th and eighth all-time among NHL coaches, respectively.

"I'd like to thank my family for their support as well as the ownership group led by the McConnell family, Mike Priest, JD and Jarmo for giving me the opportunity to come here," said Babcock. "This is a terrific city with strong ownership, a great management team, talented players, world-class facilities and a dedicated, passionate fan base, and I couldn't be more excited to be the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets."

Babcock has been out of the league since 2019 when he was fired by the Maple Leafs 23 games into his fifth season with the team. During his time in Toronto, the Leafs went 173-133-51 (.557 PTS%), and made the playoffs three times but failed to win a round. 

Before his time in Toronto, Babcock coached the Red Wings for 10 seasons, posting a record 458-223-105 (.649 PTS%), making the playoffs every year, and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and 2009, winning the title in 2008.

Babcock’s first NHL head-coaching job came with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, where he coached for two years from 2002-03 to 2003-04, going 69-62-19-14 (.521 PTS%), making the Stanley Cup Final in 2003 and missing the playoffs in 2004.

His first head-coaching job in pro hockey came with the AHL’s Cincinnati Mighty Ducks from 2000-01 to 2001-02, where he compiled a 74-59-20-7 (.547 PTS%) regular season record, losing in the first round in 2001 and the qualifying round in 2002. 

Babcock also coached the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs from 1994-95 to 1999-2000, going 228-173-29-2 (.564 PTS%). That was his second stint in the WHL, as he was the bench boss for the Moose Jaw Warriors from 1991-92 to 1992-93, going 60-74-6 (.438 PTS%). Between his two WHL stints, he was the head coach at the University of Lethbridge in 1993-94 where he went 34-11-3 (.740 PTS%).

Since being fired by Toronto, he served as a Senior Advisor at the University of Vermont in 2020-21 and went 13-7 as the University of Saskatchewan's head coach in 2021-22.

Babcock is the third full-time head coach and second outside hire by Kekalainen since he became the club’s general manager in 2013, after hiring John Tortorella in 2015 and Brad Larsen in 2021. 

After three-straight seasons without playoff hockey, pressure is on Kekalainen, Babcock, and company to get the Blue Jackets back to the postseason.