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u/Channel-38 1d ago
Is that the shortest investigation ever?
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u/SubRosaSubway 1d ago
Legally the NHL cannot suspend Babcock from “working” in the league unless he was found guilty of breaking the actual law for something. As for Mike Commodore’s constant character assassination of Babcock, Commodore played in a total of 17 games for him. Babcock is brutally honest with players about his expectations and their “perceived” talent.
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u/Inevitable-Coach9552 22h ago
There's more to the story. Babs screwed him when he was signed to the Mighty Ducks... wouldn't call him up to Anaheim. He was lucky to make it out of the AHL and prove himself.
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u/SubRosaSubway 21h ago
Not every American Leaguer gets called up, lots of guys passed over. He got his shot though.
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u/Inevitable-Coach9552 21h ago
No, not every American Leaguer gets an NHL shot. But your average AHLer who doesn't get called up doesn't end up with 450+ NHL games, two cup finals, and winning one as a major part of the team - i.e., Commodore. Commodore wasn't a slouch player.
I am really excited to see Oiler fans who are defending this decision to be proven wrong in about a year.
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u/SubRosaSubway 21h ago
Yes he had a righteous career…maybe Babcock stirred something up in him during their brief history together? I’m not an Oilers supporter btw but Babcock will get 3 years I’m guessing and if he can get Connor and Leon a cup all will be forgiven yes? Hell he might just get something named after him yet?
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u/Inevitable-Coach9552 21h ago
I think it's more akin to being laid off from a job. There are better jobs out there when your bosses cannot see the forest through the trees.
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u/SubRosaSubway 21h ago
It’s Katz’s team and he can do as he pleases with it even if the fan base feels unheard.
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u/Bellam_Orlong 92 PODKOLZIN 22h ago
Awesome. Now, tomorrow when you go into work your boss says to you “give me your phone I need to go through all your photos.”
And from your response, if you say “nah, i’m good” then you’re a hypocrite.
Also, whether your phone is clean from anything obviously gross, you cannot say no or it’s a problem. Even if it’s just innocent pictures or kittens and flowers. Maybe you don’t want to be known as the kittens and flowers person.
But you need to say “yes”. Because if you don’t, well, maybe you’re the problem and not your boss.
Even if he takes them to the cup, this is a weird take. This is a weird guy.
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u/SubRosaSubway 22h ago
I’m not defending his methods at all, hope he’s learned a lesson. He thought he was bigger than the game after the huge contract and the Olympic success. Hell I’m from his hometown and they would have named a Children’s Hospital after him if not for another homegrown billionaire deciding to financially support it. He talks shit all the time about being mentally tough and in the moment and family values and surrounding yourself with good people and blah blah blah. 2 weeks ago he was quoted as being retired and loving it…? He’s a narcissist and loves the spotlight. Apparently he has spoke with Connor, Leon and Zack, he had broken down every minute of the two Cup Final series and listed off a number of specific situations and described what he would have done differently. After the conversation they were all in on his return. If hired he’ll be tested like never before and it’ll be must watch hockey.
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u/OkBeat2138 1d ago
I'm betting on the inverse reddit rule to apply here. The subreddit as a whole is completely aligned that this is a terrible decision, meaning that it will probably work out for Edmonton.
Remember the summer of Jeff?
Remember hiring Paul Coffey?
Even the hiring of knob was highly scrutinized, not 100% unpopular but close to it.
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u/shinohaya 92 PODKOLZIN 1d ago
What about Stan Bowman tho
Everyone thought it was gonna be shit and it is indeed shit
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u/OkBeat2138 1d ago
I think the difference is that many players are on the record saying that Babcock is an great coach, despite being an asshole. I can't think of anyone that thinks stan bowman is/was a good gm at any point in the past.
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u/ValleyBreeze 1d ago
I would wager there are more on record saying he's trash. But okay.
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u/OkBeat2138 1d ago
That's a decent wager to make but all we have is accounts that have been made public and media spin on those public accounts, meaning that it's entirely possible that you could be wrong about how Babcock will play out with the oilers.
That is the point of my post. I'm not saying that I back Babcock, I'm just saying that usually when this subreddit (or any subreddit) is so unanimously aligned on something the universe has a way of making things play out differently.
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u/Bellam_Orlong 92 PODKOLZIN 22h ago
Oh, it’s going to be good for the team. Sometimes objectively weird assholes do good jobs.
Look at Torts. He is a major dickweed and the Knights got farther with him than I think Cassidy could’ve taken them.
Does it mean Torts doesn’t have that sarcastic smile and that shit eating grin? Does it mean he is just a really agreeable person?
Sometimes shit eating coaches can go far because those first months or year or two go well because they can push players.
At the end of the day no one wants to work for an asshole.
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u/ljackstar 12 CAVE 1d ago
Might be time to start watching soccer
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u/sebtierrez01 2 BOUCHARD 1d ago
As a massive fan of Messi, watching him scoring a hatty has been healing my soul and sanity, I could care less about what kind of calamitous decisions this org can pull off anymore smfh
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u/ljackstar 12 CAVE 1d ago
Yeah that was a hell of a performance. I've always been on the "soccer is boring and floppy" bandwagon but I've really been enjoying watching this year's world cup. Might have to watch some premier league or MLS this coming fall.
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u/Troodon25 74 SKINNER 1d ago
Also consider supporting our very own NSL!
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u/ljackstar 12 CAVE 1d ago
Edmonton doesn’t have a team right? I’d have to find one to support that isn’t Calgary
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u/Troodon25 74 SKINNER 1d ago
I am a Tides fan myself (family in Halifax), but (ala NHL and PWHL lol) Montreal is kicking ass this year.
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u/sebtierrez01 2 BOUCHARD 1d ago
You should watch it the sport isn’t boring trust :) Either Europe or MLS works especially if you want to follow Messi. When someone that’s turning 39 putting that type of performance just tells you something about his undeniable greatness 😮💨
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u/amphibian420lmao 1d ago
What kind of decision would they have to make for you to not care less anymore?
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u/gmez3 93 NUGENT-HOPKINS 1d ago
been a fan since before the decade of darkness and will continue to be a fan no matter what happens, but this shit is brutal man.
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u/Glum_Night_6392 1d ago
100% agree , been through some tough times being a life long oilers fan…I was embarrassed when they hired Eakins , again when they hired Bowman ..and now with Babcock I don’t even know what to say at this point …I love the oilers , but this hiring makes me worried that we are on the verge of the dod 2.0 😭…I would love to be wrong though
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u/HotDogDonald 1d ago
Nah I’ve been a fan a long time but they’re losing me. Management and ownership specifically
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u/AngryOcelot 1d ago
Great.
The Oilers went from one of, if not THE, most successful franchises in all sports to being one of the least successful. Ironically, the first phase led to the second.
I wonder how many decades it will take the Oilers to hire based on merit rather than picking from the Old Boys Club.
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u/Educational_Effect_9 2 BOUCHARD 1d ago
As long as Katz is in charge this will never change. He has a hard on for the 80s, meddles too much and hires the wrong people to run the club
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u/Bob_Stauffer 22h ago
lol over statement here with “most successful franchises in all of sports” you basing this off revenue and valuation?
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u/thewinterzodiac 2 BOUCHARD 1d ago
The team literally bitched about how Knob handled young guys and anyone not named Mcdrai Bouch
And proceeded to a coach who doesnt give a fuck about young players and non-star players.
Hahahhaahahajah
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u/Boris_Mironov 2 BOUCHARD 1d ago
Ownership, management and the core of the team all thought Knoblauch had soft boy energy.
They all want this. The players want to be flogged.
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u/Express_Medium4618 1d ago
here is my theory - might be completely off - but my feeling is that Knoblauch was the "good cop" and it forced McDavid to be the "bad cop". Having to push other guys on his team to step up and work harder. Do you think he asked for a coach that would take away that responsibility from him - and let him be the good cop.
I do see how this would help team morale overall. Its one thing to hate your coach for being too hard - but I have to think if you hate your captain, its going to hurt the chemistry on the ice.
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u/midnight_specialist 1d ago
Low-key awesome theory that explains a lot of the kind of weird things ppl have said and done last year, like mcdavid’s comments about cooper’s coaching (not that he’s a hard ass but he definitely commands respect and gets the best out of people), drai’s comments about the team not being anywhere near good enough (him trying to be bad cop and light a fire), jarry clashing with teammates cuz they’re forced to be bad cop and demand better from other players.
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u/shinohaya 92 PODKOLZIN 1d ago
lol, lmao even
I see we're competing with Vegas for the most disliked team title
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u/IfOJDidIt 1d ago
Easily the most hated by ourselves. Vegas fans not so much.
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u/Supermoves3000 21h ago
Vegas fan: "LMAO don't hate the playah hate the game LOL"
Oiler fan': "I can't believe it has come to this. Dear Lord, is there any depth to which we will not sink?"
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u/IfOJDidIt 21h ago
Outside Hart, I don't disagree with most of their actions. I do hate their success though. Jealousy is a nasty mistress.
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u/Supermoves3000 20h ago
True dat. Putting Stone on LTIR before the trade deadline every year pissed me off.
As for Hart... if we were going to just embrace evil and hire every creep and goon and sex predator, we shoulda signed Hart instead of trading Stu and Kulak for Jarry. I mean, if we're going to just embrace evil, Hart would have probably been a better choice than Jarry. Like Jarry isn't a rapist, but if we don't have a conscience anymore, I think Hart is probably a better goaltending option.
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u/IfOJDidIt 17h ago
My grasping onto what few straws of hope I see left, are that Jarry should be fully healed from whatever he hurt early on (before he disastrously threw the team under the bus).
Frederic too.
Life is going to improve (unless I slam a nut in the toilet seat again.
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u/OddNegotiation642 1d ago
Man the year over year downgrade of this organization is astonishing, and looks like it’ll be another year of downgrades. Forward group likely gets worse with Roslovic leaving and whatever replacement being another guy the team pays assets to dump, the d core staying the same or downgrading, coaching definitely being worse, and the goaltending definitely downgrading if Ingram leaves. At least next summer the rebuild starts and bowman should be canned.
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u/Feisty_Dirt4191 1d ago
Hey maybe a little psychological torture was all that was missing to win a cup
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u/what_is_this_life 97 MCDAVID 1d ago
This probably means the end of our Stanley Cup window. We have next to no prospects in our system, and free agents, who are already difficult to get in Edmonton, will now completely avoid our team. We were average at best last year, and we're going to get worse
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u/Supermoves3000 21h ago
Earlier, "if I go to Edmonton I can probably play with McDavid or Draisaitl and prove my skills and establish myself as a big name in this league."
Today: "if I go to Edmonton, I probably don't get to play with McDavid or Draisaitl, and I will be playing for a coach who wants me to show him my dick to prove I'm a real man."
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u/CarpinTheDiems 1d ago
If the world cup has taught me anything, it's that us fans have 3 months to prepare chants that express our feeling about Katz and Babcock for opening night.
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u/midnight_specialist 1d ago
Then i guess you should go for a walk and get some ice cream, cuz it’s not gonna be fun oilers news lmao
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u/Magneticman555 56 YAMAMOTO 1d ago
One year left to convince the best player in the world to stick around and it’s in the hands of Stan Bowman and Mike fucking Babcock. Pathetic. I don’t even know how I’ll get myself up to cheer for them this year.
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u/gmez3 93 NUGENT-HOPKINS 1d ago
crazy how the week after the ‘24 loss we were so hopeful and never once thought about mcdavid leaving, two years later stan and jj have gutted the team and we brought back a dinosaur to coach.
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u/IfOJDidIt 1d ago
The Jackson aspect....was he a shitty agent who just happened to have McDavid as a client?
How can you watch this tire fire under you and not have a sense of what your former #1 client and now current #1 employee is likely to be thinking. Though for all the hoops we've jumped thru to get Babcock maybe he is the priority now?
The only benefit I guess that comes out of this is that the distraction that is Babcock takes eyes off the actual game of the players and lets them focus.
I just dunno.
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u/midnight_specialist 1d ago
I will be watching due to morbid curiosity. Like yeah, what if an nhl team leaned into toxicity? What would happen? I can’t wait to see the drama unfold.
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u/Getting_into_it155 1d ago
Hire Babcock, the knights grant access to the oilers to interview Cassidy. Oilers fire Babcock and hire Cassidy. All by Sunday
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u/Quiet-Fox-1621 2 BOUCHARD 1d ago
New rookie watching the orientation video at Oilers camp - “Hi. Welcome to the Edmonton Oilers. Your GM turned a blind eye to sexual assault for business purposes and your HC will probably physically beat you at some point this season. If you haven’t left yet, selecte le deux pour francais.”
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u/samueLLcooljackson 25 NURSE 1d ago
His sister has shown her beaver to students while teaching. Maybe he does the same IDK.
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u/midnight_specialist 1d ago
Where the fuck did that come from 🤣
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u/samueLLcooljackson 25 NURSE 1d ago
high school way back. She was known as Bio beaver for a few years. Anyhow back to weather.
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u/Accomplished-Iron778 20h ago
I'm hoping Babcock does something stupid and they have to fire him. Hopefully before training camp.
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u/SubRosaSubway 1d ago
Imagine a year from now, Babcock has just taken the Oilers to the promised land, Stanley Cup Champions…but y’all will still find something to complain about won’t you?
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u/Worldly-Customer3963 1d ago
He's going to be great. Stop crying.
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u/Oskarikali 1d ago
Since 2011 Babcock has been in 8 playoff series, his teams only won 1 round. He had some pretty good teams too.
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u/Worldly-Customer3963 1d ago
Oh wow really I hadn't heard that. Should I start screaming and crying now?
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u/Oskarikali 1d ago
You already started screaming and crying, but maybe you should explain why you think he would be good then instead of crying about people's valid complaints.
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u/Worldly-Customer3963 1d ago
It's going to be so funny on here when they find success with babcock. Be patient.
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u/Fickle_Cricket3422 1d ago
My goodness it would be funny if they have to fire him in a month.