Because the truth is, this new chapter with the Oilers has been a revelation for Babcock, who was brought out of retirement by the team’s leadership group this past summer and is enjoying each day – from the honest conversations on the ice and in the locker room, to working with the staff, the players, and everything in between.
“I’m very thankful for those guys who came to see me,” Babcock said, “I didn’t know I was going to have this much fun doing it. It’s been great, with lots of laughs, and I get to join the guys. We got a really good leadership group. We got fun people, we got good pros, and they have fun, and I’m having fun, so it’s been good.”
Babcock recalled the first few years in Toronto as successful, including the chance to draft Auston Matthews, which led to more regular-season point records for the franchise before falling short of expectations in the playoffs and him being relieved of his coaching duties in 2019.
He’s had the opportunity to work elite talent, but none quite like McDavid, who described Babcock as a guy who brings juice to every practice and video session while pushing for him & others to uphold a high standard in everything they do, which is ultimately what the core leadership group of the Oilers asked for.
“He’s come in and set a standard here that we strive to meet every day, and when we don’t, we hear about it, and that’s what we want. He’s come in and been great,” McDavid said.
“The coaching staff brings a lot of juice, and it’s been great. Even at practice like today, you can feel the energy kind of out there on the ice, and I feel like at times we were missing that a little bit last year. So there’s definitely a good feeling going around.”