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Oilers respond to Messier’s comments: ‘He’s more than welcome to come here’

By Michael Menzies

Sep 24, 2026, 16:15 EDTUpdated: Sep 24, 2026, 16:18 EDT

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Mike Babcock turned the other cheek on Thursday.

Yesterday, former Edmonton Oilers captain and hockey great Mark Messier said he was “absolutely shocked” by the Babcock hiring, adding that he was “horrified” by the entire hiring process.

Babcock did not throw barbs back at “Moose,” instead deciding to shrug off the comments, alluding to the fact that one of their teams at training camp is called Team Messier.

“He won four Cups here,” said Babcock. “I’m younger than him. When I watched him, hard leader, two-way, competitive. Went to New York, worked hard, two-way, competitive. Real leader.

“I’ve dealt with him two times in my life. One time we were getting presented Olympic gold medals here, and he ran around. I think my daughter was seven or eight 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.”

Why was Mark Messier critical of the Oilers hiring process?

Messier had a specific issue with how involved the players were in the hiring, believing there should be a separation of powers among players, coaching, and management.

“I am absolutely shocked they hired him,” he said during the ESPN NHL Opening Night media call, transcribed by ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “I’m absolutely shocked from the stories that I heard from very good, reputable, character people about the way they were treated. It’s been no secret.

“I agree with Ray. The way that he was onboarded through the players interviewing him is absolutely something that I’ve never heard of before. Maybe the game has changed, and that’s the way it’s going. Great. I don’t know. It certainly wasn’t like that.”

Babcock isn’t paying attention to the noise, though. He’s focused on the Oilers, and some other things.

“I got up this morning, my deer pictures were right there,” said Babcock. “I had 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.”

How are Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman responding to Messier?

The usually reticent Connor McDavid didn’t veer from his persona when asked about Messier’s comments, either.

“Everybody’s got their opinion,” said McDavid. “Obviously he’s one of the greats of the game, and he’s entitled to his opinion.”

Oilers’ new assistant captain Zach Hyman had a much firmer response, inviting Messier to come down to Oilers camp to see the positivity happening firsthand.

“He was number 11, I was number 11 for the longest time, and I couldn’t wear the jersey here because he’s revered here,” said Hyman. “He’s a legend with the Oilers and in hockey, obviously. So I think that everybody in the game respects him.

“I think if he really wants to see what’s going on firsthand, he’s more than welcome to come here. I think Oilers fans love him. There’s a lot of excitement. There’s a lot of positivity here. Nothing but good is happening right now. So to try and spew something negative right now — I think it’s his opinion. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for him, and if he’d like to see what’s going on, he’s more than welcome to come down.”

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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