Daniel Winnik is the latest former player to come out against Mike Babcock.<\/p>\n
Despite playing just one season under Babcock, Winnik was adamant during an interview with TSN 1050<\/a> that the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> should end their pursuit of the controversial head coach.<\/p>\n “He’s the only guy that has ever made me hate hockey\u2026he’s just a bully”<\/p>\n Former NHLer Daniel Winnick shared his staunch opposition to the possibility of the Oilers hiring Mike Babcock as their next head coach.<\/p>\n Listen to Winnik’s full interview HERE: https:\/\/t.co\/BXWwseyNZT<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PnQ1RPeK5p<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 First Up (@FirstUp1050) June 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNo, do not do it,\u201d Winnik said. \u201cNo. He\u2019s the only guy that\u2019s ever made me hate hockey. Don\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnik played under Babcock for part of the 2015-16 season, appearing in 56 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> before being dealt to the Washington Capitals<\/a> at the trade deadline. The campaign marked Babcock\u2019s first season with the Leafs after he departed the Detroit Red Wings<\/a> and signed an eight-year, $50 million contract<\/a> in May 2015, making him the highest-paid coach in hockey.<\/p>\n \u201cI just hated coming to the rink,\u201d Winnik said to TSN 1050. \u201cHe\u2019s just a bully. He just gets guys he wants to be on. And I think it started out fine with me and Mike. I was playing well. I was coming off my career year when I came back here. And then I had a high ankle sprain happen in Washington in November, and I missed like five games. That was it. With a high ankle sprain. I should have been out for eight weeks. I came back, and I always thought skating was my strongest attribute. And I just couldn\u2019t skate. I wasn\u2019t the same player.<\/p>\n \u201cIt cratered from there,\u201d he continued. \u201cHe\u2019s on me all the time. I just think how he treats people is not great. And that\u2019s been well documented at this point. Sure, the top guys aren\u2019t going to have a problem. He\u2019s just going to let them play.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only did Winnik claim Babcock was miserable to play for, but he also thinks hockey has passed him by after being out of the league since 2019 \u2014 a span of seven years (Babcock resigned with the Columbus Blue Jackets before he even coached a game in 2023-24).<\/p>\n \u201cI just don\u2019t think his style works anymore. That\u2019s another thing as well,\u201d Winnik said. \u201cWhy the [Jim] Hiller hire (by the Leafs) doesn\u2019t make sense to me, because I just call them Babcock disciples. It\u2019s like a coaching tree if you follow it, right? Right now, you still have (Jay) Woodcroft, Hiller, DJ Smith, and Todd McClellan. Have any of those guys had a resounding career in coaching? That\u2019s one. Or say you\u2019ve been on the precipice of winning. It\u2019s no. And it\u2019s just that style. Even Babcock, if you look back, he hasn\u2019t won a playoff series since 2012. Why is that your hire?\u201d<\/p>\n Winnik\u2019s comments came shortly after the NHL cleared Babcock to return to the league<\/a>, saying on Thursday that its investigation found \u201cthere is no current basis to restrict his employment in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n