NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh and assistant executive director Ron Hainsey were on the ground in Columbus to investigate a report that Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock violated players’ privacy by asking to see photos on their phones.
Union officials confirmed to ESPN that they were looking into the matter and that the pair met with Blue Jackets players at Nationwide Arena.
The trip came after a shocking report from former player Paul Bissonnette during Tuesday’s “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast when he claimed that Babcock had asked Columbus players to see their phones and then played images from the devices on his office TV.
ESPN reported the Blue Jackets are welcoming the NHLPA inquiry to figure out if anything inappropriate did occur.
The podcast claim drew immediate attention from both the league and the NHLPA, along with hockey fans across the country.
Bissonnette, who is also part of TNT’s national broadcasts of the NHL, said Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner was one of the players Babcock asked to show their phone.
“He gets to Columbus and one of the first things he does is he calls in Boone Jenner, the captain of the team, and says let me see the photos in your phone, I want to know the type of person you are. What the f–k is going on? Why do you want to see throbbing d–k pics from your captain on his iPhone? I don’t understand this,” Bissonette claimed on the show.
Bissonette’s comments also led former NHL defenseman Mike Commodore to come out and allege he had heard Babcock pull similar stunts when he coached in Toronto and Detroit.
In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, Commodore went as far as to call Babcock a “pervert” for going through people’s phones and laid an even harsher criticism on the NHL coach in a post on Thursday night.
“Do the right thing [NHL commissioner Gary Bettman]….you know all this #Babcock stuff is true,” wrote Commodore in a follow-up post on Thursday, who has long been a Babcock critic. “Is the #NHL really for everyone..or is it still a place for a perverted 60 year old narcissistic sociopath to intimidate, embarrass and ultimately prey on teenagers from a position of power? It’s your call.”
In statements released by the Blue Jackets, Babcock and Jenner denied there was anything nefarious about what the coach had done.
Babcock claimed he had only asked to see family photos in order to get to know the players better.
“While meeting with Babs, he asked me about my family and where I’m from, my upcoming wedding and hockey-related stuff,” Jenner said in his statement. “He then asked if I had pictures of my family and I was happy to share some with him. He showed me pictures of his family. I thought it was a great first meeting and a good way for us to start to build a relationship. To have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing.”
Babcock had had a history of controversy in the NHL, and following multiple accusations of mental abuse of players, he was fired by the Leafs as head coach in 2019.
The Blue Jackets are the first NHL team Babcock has coached since that dismissal.