Babcock resigned as the team's head coach less than three months after being hired and just days after allegations surfaced that he asked players to share personal cell phone photos with him while getting to know them, allegedly making some players uncomfortable.

Although several players, including captain Boone Jenner and star forward Johnny Gaudreau, made public comments downplaying how Babcock's methods of getting to know each other were publicly portrayed, the allegations were investigated by the NHL Players Association.n NHL Players Association(NHLPA) considering previous allegations about Babcock's interpersonal communication style contributing to a toxic work environment surfaced after the coach was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.

NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh stated, "Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace. Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club's decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action."

Mike Babcock

"Upon reflection, it became clear that continuing as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets was going to be a major distraction," said Babcock, 60. "While I am disappointed that I did not have the opportunity to continue the work we have started, I know it is in the best interest of the organization for me to step away at this time. I wish everyone in the organization the best in the upcoming season."

Babcock ranks 12th in NHL history with 700 wins and 16th with 1,301 games in 17 seasons with Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. He won the Stanley Cup coaching the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and reached the Finals with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003 and Detroit Red Wings in 2009. He also coached Canada to gold medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics, and to wins at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Prior to being hired by Columbus, Babcock had been out of the NHL since being fired by Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 20, 2019. He worked as a volunteer advisor at the University of Vermont in 2020-21 and coached at the University of Saskatchewan in the 2021-22 season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Statement.

"I don't believe there was ill intent on Mike's part in the way he conducted interviews with our players to get to know them; however, whether there was intent or not, some of our players were not comfortable with his methods and that was concerning," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said during a press conference. "As we gathered information and had numerous discussions both internally and externally, it became very clear that the distractions caused by this were too great and were having a negative impact on our players. I had a meeting with the players this morning and I apologize for any inconvenience or uncomfortable situation this may have put them in. I am extremely disappointed in what happened over the last week. We understood the dynamics of hiring Mike before we did and we understand the criticism now that it didn't work out as we had planned. Mike was hired based on the personal relationships we had with him, the feedback we received from numerous people we know and respect and extensive conversations with Mike. Obviously it is fair to question our due diligence. I thought Mike Babcock deserved another chance as a coach. Obviously, that was a mistake, and that responsibility is mine."

"We had conversations with the franchise owners, who were very supportive, and it all revolved around our goals for this season," said president of field hockey operations John Davidson. "We need to make a major improvement over a year ago with all the problems we had, and I think we still can, the owners are in a situation where they believe that and it's up to us to prove it. The people were right. It's up to us. It's up to me and I respect the opinions. We did a lot of research. When we went through this process, Mike came to Columbus two or three different times and came to my house and with our group, and we went through a lot of different things. Sometimes you just make a mistake. We made the mistake. I'm free to sit here and tell you that."

Pascal Vincent, new coach

Assistant coach Pascal Vincent was named as Babcock's replacement and signed a two-year contract through the 2024-25 season.

Pascal Vincent joined the Columbus Blue Jackets as an associate head coach in 2021. He spent the previous 10 seasons as a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization , including five as head coach of the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League from 2016-2021.

"He was very close to our first choice anyway," Kekalainen said. "He's been in our organization for the last two years. He interviewed for the head coaching position two years ago and we were very impressed with him, we hired him as an associate coach at that time. It's a perfect continuation of what has been a long term plan all the way through."

The Blue Jackets open training camp this week and Vincent will lead their first regular season NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena on October 12.