Before they got to swinging golf clubs for charity, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman encountered their first media scrums since the Edmonton Oilers‘ exit interviews.

As each described once the news became official, they are very excited about hiring Mike Babcock and the firm brand of coaching he’s known for.

“It’s a great opportunity to be coached by someone who’s coached in every single big game there is to coach in, who’s been successful, won Cups, gold medals,” McDavid told reporters on Monday morning.

“You name it, he’s done it. It’s a great opportunity for us players to be coached by somebody like him and learn from him. With where our group’s at and what we’re looking for, he’s the perfect fit. He’s not going to need to come in and find who he is as a coach, or find himself in those situations. He knows what he’s about as a coach, and it’s our job as players to be ready to go.”

The Oilers’ leadership has stood firmly behind the hiring, despite Babcock seeming to be persona non grata in the hockey world after resigning in Columbus in 2023 before ever coaching a game with the Blue Jackets.

Those three players vetted Babcock in an honest conversation before Edmonton decided to go this direction. In turn, Babcock was reportedly “very blunt” about the reasons the Oilers had not won the Stanley Cup yet.

Draisaitl said that conversation was a necessary step in the process.

“It was very important,” said Draisaitl. “There’s history there, but I think we got that all off the table. We had an honest conversation about it.

“It’s just the time that we’re all in our careers, the age that we’re in, and I think he’s the right guy to get us to where we want to get to. It’s a different look, a change in personality, but I’m very excited to learn from him.”

The occasion that brought all the players together was Hyman’s annual golf tournament, the Zach Hyman Celebrity Golf Classic, which raises money for children’s hospitals, including the Stollery in Edmonton.

But throughout the coaching search, Hyman has acted as the point man for the Babcock conversation. It makes sense, since he had the most first-hand experience with the former Cup winner, considering his first four seasons in the NHL in Toronto were spent with Babs.

“When you’re the guy who’s played for a coach that’s coming in, everybody wants your opinion or your take on it,” said Hyman. “I obviously had a very good experience with Mike in Toronto, and I thought that he did a great job with a lot of the young players over there. All of us have had pretty long careers and are still playing, and he set the foundation for us.

“I think he’s a phenomenal coach. I think extremely highly of him, and I’m happy he went through the process with the NHL and the NHLPA, and all those questions were answered. From a player standpoint, we’re excited.”

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