Mike Babcock fires back at Mark Messier for yesterday's comments

It's been a turbulent off-season for the Edmonton Oilers, and just when things seemed to be settling down heading into training camp, a hockey legend threw a grenade into the mix. Mark Messier, one of the most iconic players to ever wear the Oilers jersey, didn't hold back in a recent ESPN interview when discussing Edmonton's decision to bring Mike Babcock behind the bench. The five-time Cup champion in Edmonton called the hire shocking and expressed deep concerns about the process that led to it.

So how did Babcock respond? Not with venom. Not with deflection. With praise.

Babcock Takes the High Road

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, just one day after Messier's pointed critique went public, Babcock struck a tone that caught many off guard. He told media he has "nothing but respect" for the Oilers legend, and then went on to describe the kind of player and person Messier was in his eyes.

Babcock called Messier a "hard leader" and a "two-way competitive" force, both during his time in Edmonton and after his move to New York. He also shared two personal anecdotes about meeting Messier, once at an Olympic gold medal ceremony where Messier was kind to Babcock's young daughter, and another at a Hockey Hall of Fame event. In both instances, Babcock said Messier treated him and his family well.

"One of these teams is Team Messier, right? So he won 4 Cups [sic] here. I'm younger than him. When I watched him, hard leader, 2-way, competitive. Went to New York, worked hard, 2-way, competitive. Real leader.

"I've dealt with him 2 times in my life. One time we were getting presented Olympic gold medals here, and he ran around. I think my daughter was 7 or 8 then. He treated us great. Another time was at the Hall of Fame thing. He treated me great. Like I said, Mark Messier is a legend here. Is it ESPN that he does? Is that the one? He does great on that. I have nothing but respect for him."

On a followup, whether he hears the noise about him:

"I got up this morning, my deer pictures were right there. I had like about 1,000 of them I had to delete. That's my social media. My dad had this unbelievable line. He said, son, if your knees hit my kitchen table, I probably care what you think. In other words, it's your family and the people around you. The rest is just noise, man. I've been doing this a long time."

It was a measured, gracious response from a coach who has faced no shortage of scrutiny since being announced as Edmonton's new bench boss back in June. The 63-year-old hadn't coached an NHL game since 2019 and stepped away from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023 before their training camp even started, following controversy over requests he made to players for personal photos as part of what was described as a team bonding exercise. That incident was widely criticized as being overly invasive.

What Messier Actually Said

Messier's comments to ESPN were far from subtle. He said he was "absolutely shocked" by the hiring and referenced stories he had heard from "very good, reputable, character people" about how Babcock had treated individuals in the past. But Messier's concerns went beyond just Babcock's track record.

The Hall of Famer also took issue with how the hiring process itself played out, specifically the involvement of Oilers players in interviewing and vetting their new coach. Messier called it something he had never heard of before and questioned whether it blurred the lines between management, coaching, and players. He argued there needs to be a clear separation of powers within a team's structure, and that player leadership can't properly protect the locker room if those same players are directly involved in hiring decisions at the management level.

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

Whether Babcock's calm and complimentary response puts this story to rest remains to be seen. Messier's words carry enormous weight in Edmonton and across the hockey world, and the debate over Babcock's hiring clearly isn't going away anytime soon. With training camp underway, though, Babcock will have the chance to let his coaching do the talking. How the team responds to him on the ice could end up being the only rebuttal that truly matters.