Columbus GM Jarmo Kekäläinen told a press conference that he met the team’s players on Monday morning local time. He said he was very disappointed by the events of the previous week.
STT Sports,
SpongeBob Forsberg
Finnish GM of NHL club Columbus Blue Jackets Jarmo Kekäläinen was choosing Mike Babcock in the summer as the club’s new head coach. Babcock was forced to resign after it was revealed that he had been examining pictures from players’ phones during one-on-one meetings.
He will be replaced by an assistant coach Pascal Vincent. Columbus held a news conference about the coaching change on Monday.
– This morning I met with our players and apologized for any inconvenience they have experienced. I am very disappointed by these events that appeared in the last week, Kekäläinen said and publicly apologized to the players.
Babcock’s selection as head coach recently attracted criticism, as Babcock has been accused of questionable and old-fashioned coaching methods. The Canadian last worked in the NHL as Toronto’s head coach from 2015-2019.
During his coaching career, Babcock has won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and two Olympic gold medals with the Canadian national team. After years of success, his reputation has been tarnished in various controversies. Among other things, former players Mike Commodore and Johan Franzen have accused Babcock of being a bully.
Read more: Comment: One of the most successful coaches will never return to the NHL – how many lives does Columbus’ Jarmo Kekäläinen have?
Kekäläinen admitted that hiring Babcock was a mistake.
– I believed that Babcock deserves another chance to coach (in the NHL). It was clearly a mistake, and the responsibility for this choice of coach is mine, Kekäläinen said.
– I don’t think that Bacbcock meant any harm in the meetings. Bad intentions or not, some of our players didn’t feel comfortable with his modus operandi, which was worrying.
Kekäläinen said that Babcock also wanted to view pictures from his phone.
– It was his way of introducing his family and getting to know mine. Personally, I didn’t find it problematic, but I understand that it can be embarrassing.
The first European GM in NHL history emphasized that the management had held numerous discussions both inside and outside the organization regarding the uproar. The data collection led to a change of coach.
– It became clear that the disturbances caused by this were too great and adversely affected our players. We came to the conclusion with all parties that it is best for Mike to leave.
– Our players and everyone else inside and outside our organization must be treated with respect. Failure to do so is unacceptable, Kekäläinen stated.