Mark Messier absolutely destroys Mike Babcock in brutal ESPN rant!

The Edmonton Oilers entered the offseason looking for a coaching change and General Manager Stan Bowman settled on experience, bringing in Mike Babcock after the club had employed two consecutive first-time head coaches. But when the topic came up during ESPN's NHL Opening Night media conference call, one of the franchise's all-time greats made it abundantly clear he wants no part of the celebration.

Mark Messier, who won five Stanley Cups during 12 seasons in Edmonton and now works as an ESPN analyst, delivered a blistering assessment of the hire.

"I'm absolutely shocked they hired him. I'm absolutely shocked from the stories that I heard from very good, reputable, character people about the way they were treated," Messier said. "It's been no secret."

He went even further moments later.

"I am just horrified about the whole thing, to be honest with you. I could go on and on and on, but I think you get my point."

Babcock, 63, stepped down from the Columbus Blue Jackets just weeks into his tenure three years ago after allegations of inappropriate conduct from players triggered an NHLPA investigation. He never coached a single game in Columbus and has not been behind an NHL bench since his dismissal from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019. Multiple current and former players have made claims of bullying behavior over the course of his career.

Messier's concerns extended beyond Babcock's personal history. He took particular issue with the reported process that saw Edmonton's star players, including captain Connor McDavid, interview the coaching candidate before the hire was finalized.

"The way that he was onboarded through the players interviewing him is absolutely something that I've never heard of before," Messier said. He argued that a team needs clear separation between management, coaching, and players, warning that blurring those lines creates a dangerous dynamic.

"I just don't know, if it does go bad and players are having difficulties, who do they turn to? Because if they turn to the leadership, the leadership is management. There's no separation there."

Fellow ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro echoed some of the surprise, noting that former players rarely rave about Babcock on a personal level. "You don't have a whole bunch of players jumping out and saying, hey, Mike is a great guy, that played for him in the past," Ferraro said. "They say he's organized, he's detailed, he's direct. That's what Edmonton is getting."

At his introductory press conference in June, Babcock acknowledged the Columbus episode and said he had taken time to reflect. "Anytime you make anybody feel uncomfortable in your life, you should take a look at yourself," he said, adding that the situation had been reviewed by both the NHL and NHLPA.

ESPN's Greg Wyshynski shared Messier's remarks on social media, where they quickly generated attention. One fan noted the irony that Messier himself once helped facilitate the hiring of the notoriously demanding Mike Keenan in Vancouver, suggesting the criticism of Babcock carried extra weight coming from someone familiar with controversial coaching figures.

Babcock inherits a roster headlined by McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that remains among the league's most talented in Edmonton. Whether his methods mesh with a team that has already tasted deep playoff success, or whether Messier's fears prove warranted, will be one of the defining storylines as the NHL season opens next week.