And I doubt they care. If this is the move that helps them win, then great, go for it. If nothing else, Mike Babcock is guilty of being a bully and a product of an old-school coaching mentality that was built right here on the Prairies, from the University of Saskatchewan (and back again), through Lethbridge, Augustana University, and finally on a grand adventure throughout the continent.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s won the Stanley Cup, that is true. This made me think of the best coaching advice I ever received. Remember former Oilers assistant coach Rob Daum? I got to work closely with Daum in Edmonton for a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, Trevor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Kelvin, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure thing. Now listen, Trevor, the best coaches have the best players. Want to be a good coach? Get good players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Babcock has had some remarkable players to coach in his career. What has he learned from them? Does he understand why scratching Mike Modano in Game 1,500<\/a> wasn\u2019t worth the hassle? If Modano does play that game, it\u2019s not even a story \u2014 the coach\u2019s name isn\u2019t attached.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve watched Mike Babcock furiously scribble notes from the back row at coaching conferences. I believe he\u2019s a student of the game, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s always trying to get better. Has that been the case since he\u2019s been away from the game at a professional level? That I do not know.<\/p>\n Babcock\u2019s coaching style<\/p>\n This is another thing I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t think I can deliver anything video-wise on coaching style. It\u2019s been seven years since he coached in the NHL, and I\u2019d have to watch every goal\/breakout\/forecheck\/whatever, and what would that tell us? I watched every goal the University of Saskatchewan Huskies scored when he was behind the bench with his son, and that didn\u2019t illuminate much either.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also really frustrated by this. Do you know who has a keen knowledge of Babcock\u2019s tactics, has won a Stanley Cup, has coached the same superstar players, and has credible recent knowledge on how to beat the Oilers? Former Red Wings assistant coach Jay Woodcroft.<\/p>\n So this post has to be worth something no matter what happens. I have to learn something from this, otherwise what kind of coach am I? Who do I want to be? I coach teenagers, and I want them to improve every day, but more importantly, I want them to become better humans because of the time spent with my program. I also believe that this focus on culture leads to wins. It\u2019s why I write about Rod Brind\u2019Amour and the Canes so much.<\/p>\n So anyways, if the Oilers win, then great. Coaches get too much blame when the team loses and not enough when they win. There are likely plenty of problem people in the league we know nothing about. In every league, for sure, but what we have right now in front of our faces is a reckoning pitting culture against results in the game in which we choose to invest our emotions. The funny thing is that you can have one if you focus on the other, but the reverse of that equation doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n So if it\u2019s Babcock, David Carle, or Jussi Ahokas, if the new coach wants to hold the players accountable and win in the playoffs, this is what it will look like.<\/p>\n Holding Oilers players accountableShort ShiftsIf you\u2019re coasting to the bench at the end of a shift, you\u2019ve either been out there too long, or you\u2019re saying to your teammates you\u2019re bigger than the game \u2013 things didn\u2019t go your way? So what? Ditch the body language and try the next shift.By the way, your next shift will come in about four minutes because everyone is going to play at five-on-five.Contributions from everyoneMcDavid and Draisaitl have both agreed that more players need to be involved for the Oilers to win. When the season starts in October, the fourth line should start the game. The coach will be new, but the players and the fans aren\u2019t.Playing on either of the special teams isn\u2019t enough. Do you know who Carolina\u2019s second line by ice time in the Stanley Cup Final is? Eric Robinson, Mark Jankowski, and William Carrier. This is their fourth line \u2014 two of the other three lines have been shuffled (Hall, Stankoven, and Blake have remained intact and have averaged 10:37 at even strength).RolesEvery forward and defenceman needs a defined role. Play your first line in the offensive zone, your third line against the other team\u2019s best players, and your fourth in the defensive zone. Whatever it is, carve out those roles, put players in the right spots, and let them breathe.Empower these players \u2014 treat them with respect, prove to them you believe in their value as hockey players and human beings, and they\u2019ll run through a wall for you.Make Them BetterTeammates want each other to succeed. When the lights are on and the game is for real, the players will perform. Find extra time in practice and in the video room to find little improvements the players can put into action. It doesn\u2019t have to be much, but it has to be something. Being a veteran in the NHL doesn\u2019t mean the development stops.This team has been dizzyingly close to winning it all, and they\u2019ve fallen back to Earth. Hard. That means the sky is the limit. If you\u2019re coaching a group of talented players like this and you feed off validation, then what an opportunity to prove to the world, but importantly, to yourself, that you\u2019ve got what it takes.<\/p>\n Finally, ensure the players know that they and the coaches are on the same side. You want the same things. The players don\u2019t need any more pressure from trying to guess what\u2019s going to happen at practice every day. If you truly care about the players, then you\u2019ll be welcome here.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t, it will be obvious quickly.<\/p>\n By the way, if I were choosing the Oilers\u2019 next coach, it would be Rikard Gr\u00f6nborg. Read about him here<\/a> and here<\/a>.PRESENTED BY LeaseBusters![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1781263880_503_image.webp\"\/)
\nLeaseBusters is Canada\u2019s premier lease takeover marketplace, helping drivers get out of their current vehicle leases without costly penalties or negative equity. Instead of paying thousands to break a lease, sellers connect with qualified buyers ready to take it over\u2014saving money and avoiding financial stress. Buyers benefit from shorter-term commitments and often better monthly payments, while dealerships retain a replacement customer and leasing companies keep contracts active. It\u2019s a smarter, more efficient solution for everyone involved. Four parties, four wins\u2014only with LeaseBusters. For more information, check out\u00a0www.LeaseBusters.com.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Smarter people than I have already asked the necessary questions. They tell us not to worry. The thing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":731851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-731850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}