Mike Babcock is back on the ice in Edmonton, and the pace left even him sore

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Mike Babcock had his first on-ice practice as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, and it was four hours of high-speed, detail-oriented skating and learning for both coach and players.

“My feet hurt right now,” Babcock said afterward. “In order to play here, you’ve got to be fit and we’re going to play 12 forwards and everyone’s going to be important. I think it’s important you establish a standard for what’s accepted and everybody knows.”

Babcock was cleared to work for the Oilers following the league’s conclusion of an investigation into his conduct while with Columbus in 2023. He signed with Edmonton this spring after the team fired Kris Knoblauch before his new three-year contract had been started.

Babcock resigned from the Blue Jackets less than three months after taking the job. At the time, his requests for personal photos from players, which he said were part of an effort to get to know them, drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.

Babcock said if the Oilers hadn’t approached him, he would be back in Ohio bow hunting for deer.

“I would say this to you. If they hadn’t come and talked to me, it’s not like I was looking for work," he said. "When I see my deer pictures in the morning, I can’t believe I’m doing this as a matter of fact.”

He said the Oilers leadership group of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman convinced him they want to win a championship and “I’m going to do what I can to help them out.”

Draisaitl said the first practice under the new coach was intense and detail oriented.

“You know, he’s energetic. He wants things done a certain way, and he wants it done right,” Draisaitl said. “I think anyone in the building could hear it and probably see it. Details are great. He cares about the little things, so it was a good first day.”

Defenseman Ryan Shea agreed that Babcock was stressing details and speed.

“I think that was his big message today,” said Shea who was signed to a five-year contract as a free agent this summer. “Everything was upbeat. Everything, he wanted everything quick and just the little things, like he wants everyone finishing the drill, stopping at the net, everything that it takes to be a good player and a good team."

One of the many decisions Babcock faces in the future is how to play McDavid and Draisaitl. He said he plans to start with the two playing on the same line, much as the two did last season.

“What we’re going to do is we’re going to learn about each other," he said. "I’m just going to watch them.”

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