Craig Button on Mike Babcock and players gaining power

[@professordogwood8985]

Babcock wasn't "cancelled" he was rightfully fired for being a jerk. He actually hurt people.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

No he was ganged up on by Rainblow freaks, not normal little freaks wit big mouths and soft heads.

[@MrFelix002]

always great to hear Craig has to say, the truth unfortunately not everyone can speak it in times of stress but Craig nails it all the time

[@chrisdavey9522]

No..but I appreciate your take, I just don't agree and so I'll speak freely. Ok if he's speaking his thoughts ok. But I don't agree.. Babcock maybe pushed some lines but that's what coaches good coaches do. I rather a coach push then not push.. If the content is proper ok. I font see an issue here but I'm old school

[@joeygrossbeak4092]

Agree: I saw Babcock coach at JLA dozens of times, it was intense and did not look like any bad tension, players worked hard for him, looked happy at least. Whole thing now is very strange. I will say I personally wish Mike the best, however I also wish he not have gone to Toronto 2016; everything was magnified and skewed in that gossipy fishbowl. @@chrisdavey9522

[@user-zb7tg5hi3t]

Button is spot on with his assessment.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Button is bent over backwards because he is afraid of getting caught in the crossfire he is a Yes-man to social media manipulations and to the Rainbow movement and always will be now..

[@Nall412]

@@BobsUruncle-dl7cs💯💯💯💯

[@TacoDan34]

Using the chain of command really help the chicago balckhawks player. No wonder the player this time didn't go through the nhlpa.

[@matttilley8620]

Craig Button's comments apply to every worker, just like he said. It doesn't matter where you work, you should have a union. If not, form one. It's not that difficult.

[@mrquirky3626]

Oh no, it's difficult. Look how much trouble Walmart employees got into whenever they spoke of unionizing. A Quebec Walmart was one of the first to ever form a union and the company just shut down the store and put everyone out of work. The bigger the corporation, the harder it is to unionize because they have a lot of money and threats to stop you.

[@heathclark318]

Unions aren't the answer. Look at how many phat cats got rich skimming off those union dues. Or how many times the unions have sold out their members. Dude history is littered with examples of union corruption

[@0TRa0]

This is an HR disaster and worst nightmare. They haven’t created an environment where the players/workers feel comfortable bringing up and resolving issues with them

[@matttilley8620]

@@mrquirky3626 I've been a union organizer for more than a decade and am willing to speak with anyone who is interested in forming a union at their workplace. Just say the word and we can speak privately.

[@pjpredhomme7699]

ummmm don't know where you are located but it doesn't much matter - are you at all familiar with the history of organized labor in the US or Canada - it is not a pretty picture - the idea that you can /should just form one where you work is beyond Disney fantasy. Believe me I am with you - there are strength in numbers - against powerful we have a real power imbalance in our society in many walks of life - seems to me that this younger generation Z - when they heard " we are all created equal" thinks they actually meant it - LOL -

[@joanneogley4874]

Bang on Craig! I appreciate everything you have said here.

[@Divedown_25]

The important lesson is that sports must reflect the society and as it is now in this era is that managers and coaches in sport must act like any other employer and pay respect to the players.

[@ariea.devalois1564]

Players can report inappropriate behavior or concerns to anyone, be to a podcast or the NHL PA. They don't have to report it to the NHL PA if they don't feel comfortable or confident the PA will address their concerns. The fact is the PA has failed utterly to protect players in many serious incidents in the past.

[@joaquingageK4Financial]

another great episode guys.

[@j.t.miller1641]

Great take from Craig. And it wouldn't be a season of D&D without Rick forgetting to mute his mic when he coughs!

[@samueladams5243]

ask john shannon if he apologized to biz yet?

[@777poco]

John has a bit of egg on his face

[@joeygrossbeak4092]

Ppl are pontificating like crazy...n' thought police are out in force.....

[@RobertoJones-iv2ee]

Didn't Shannon just say the tweet was too crude?

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

@@RobertoJones-iv2ee He critiqued Biz for not getting his sources in line after Columbus released the statement which he immediately believed. Which is no surprise. He had Babs on "The Bob McCowan Podcast" when he was hired and it was basically a softball interview. I think (as someone who worked for decades in hockey media) he comes off as a bit of a gatekeeper. I mean, it's not like HNIC broke any real embarassing stories about hockey culture when he was leading it.

[@RobertoJones-iv2ee]

I guess -- but the simple act of resignation does not mean what Biz said was true and accurate. All it tells me is that the organization didn't want to deal with the media circus. Surely, something happened that did not go over well with a player or two, but the extent of it is not yet known.@@kiroolioneaver8532

[@legruda6667]

excellent podcast!

[@regantyn]

Impressive commentary by Button. My compliments.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Buttons a coward and traitor.

[@cym1963]

Excellent discussion. 😊

[@post1113]

Button nails it here! Including GM's failure.

[@rabes1981]

100%

[@tsak912]

Button desperately trying to be on the right side just in case. Apologize for what? Upsetting a bunch of kids who don’t want a coach who holds them accountable. CBJ misses the playoffs again this year.

[@mindybennett4740]

@@tsak912 And how about CBJ losing players because of the people in place that have power over said players? Like a Babcock, or someone like him who make players uncomfortable. Would you rather that happen? If so, then CBJ deserves to lose those players.

[@tromedl]

​@@tsak912they are adults eventhough Babcock tried to treat them as kids.

[@tsak912]

@@mindybennett4740I wouldn’t want those players. If they can’t say no to a weird old dude, what are they going to do when a 210lb winger is punching their goalie in the playoffs?

[@meowza]

I don't always agree with Button, but he absolutely nailed it from top to bottom today.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

No he just suckholed to the Rainblow crowd.

[@vito9674]

My respect for Mr Button and his honesty has 💯 increased ! Sometimes in old boys club HONESTY is the last thing on the agenda ! Especially in the NHL !

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

Button is one of the few guys who's benefitted from how hockey's been structured but is still forward thinking and willing to critique the system.

[@pjpredhomme7699]

@@kiroolioneaver8532 you have to have some respect for a guy who was in the system willing to step forward and being critical - lets face it - he is not going to get a hockey job again - he is a talking head for the rest of his working life - but still not many will.

[@nielsonlars]

Craig Button saids don't focus on hockey culture to start the video tells me this will never change as Mike Babcock is a convient focus to keep every thing the same way. He wants people to only focus on the micro and not the micro and macro environment.

[@heathclark318]

About time a talking head that actually gets it... ffs its about time. Bullying is unacceptable in any form any where. Period... wtf people

[@777poco]

Glad Craig is on the players side

[@rodhenson7657]

Biz is a player rep. Wouldn't have happened without him.

[@tromedl]

Biz gives a s**t what others think about him. That's why he has the courage while others stay quiet.

[@gopropeterchockey]

Babcock is such a dinosaur that he probably thinks he's the victim in all of this. He has no insight into his own behavior, never had, never will. Good riddance.

[@mindybennett4740]

@user-lr9mo9my6j He is no way a victim. Babcock is a good coach...Because he treats players horribly and disregards them and their rights.

[@joeygrossbeak4092]

A smart and today a way rich(er) dinosaur.

[@0TRa0]

It’s nice to get multiple perspectives on this fiasco

[@Furens]

Craig's most important point is that the team needs to look to its culture. Whatever happened, the fact that a younger player on the team cried to Spittin Chicklets rather than addressing it internally is a HUGE problem. Screw Babcock, dude is a tyrant. But I don't want to see guys getting railroaded by biased podcasters who clearly let their own ego colour the story. That ain't the way to address these things.

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

I agree, but we don't know that they didn't try to address it internally first. Imagine you did and nothing was done so you went to Chiclets. Then the leadership group comes out and says nothing happened. You'd feel validated for going to Biz lol

[@miketraslin5394]

Well said. I am originally from North Vancouver. Just moved to Kelowna....I have had some of the gnarliest bosses. There should be places regular workers can go. Go Canucks. This is the year they win the Cup. 😊

[@anthonys3631]

Canucks 11 game ice pack holder here, not gonna happen lol! Won't even make the playoffs.

[@miketraslin5394]

Ha Ha. Tradition for me. I say it every year 82. 94. 2011. Close.

[@anthonys3631]

@@miketraslin5394 I'll be turning 58 in October and have been waiting my entire life to see it happen. Unsure if it ever will any longer lol! Cheers.

[@hklinker]

Cover-up culture lives on in the NHL. Columbus apparently didn’t learn from what happened to Chicago - this Babcock business spiralled instead of being snuffed out at the earliest possible moment. Now all sorts of people in the Columbus organisation are implicated.

[@jeffer1101]

once again, Craig nails it.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

He nailed zero, all he did was bend over for the Rainbow. Dont do it man, people will not forget nor forgive you for betraying Families andnormalcy to support something evil , and FYI like it or not we will be washing this Rainblow bullspit off of all of us very very soon.

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

First off, I have always respected Button. He's one of the forward thinking guys in hockey. In regards to the hockey culture isn't that everybody's as bad as Babcock, it's the culture that says keep it in house, keep it in the locker room. Maybe the younger players went to the leadership group. Maybe there was a robust conversation between the players, upper management and Babcock. But by keeping it internal, nothing was going to really be done. The player(s) who leaked this to Spittin Chiclets felt they couldn't trust the NHLPA or the leadership group or management to do right by them and that absolutely is an indictment on hockey culture.

[@billytessio6326]

This isn't exclusive to hockey. It exists in every domain of society. The same shit is happening even within HR departments at hospitals and corporations. They just don't get the media scrutiny that professional sports or Hollywood does.

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

@@billytessio6326Sure hockey is a microcosm of society but even among pro sports leagues hockey recieves relatively less secrutiny because of a culture of silence and we'll handle things internally. In the NBA for example a player literally called his team president a liar in public in another country. That example of that kind of player empowerment would never happen in hockey lol

[@pjpredhomme7699]

@@billytessio6326 True - ultimately it is about power and what you do with it .

[@davidwilson9976]

Comments were on the button.

[@reidfarrill3917]

Craig Button is absolutely correct. Shame on Team Captain Jenner. A dark day for the GM, and John Davidson. They should be ashamed of themselves. Very poor. Obviously this is a troubled franchise with weak leadership. Time to clean house. Lets hope we never hear or see Mike Babcock ever again.

[@tallesttreeintheforest]

babcock not figuring out what was green and what was not, from his previous tenure, is his responsibility. he didnt do his job to understand that. if he focused on being a coach, he would still have a job.

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

how might players be able to discuss without a public controversy? able to tell NHLPA / player rep?

[@Landis_Grant]

Mike Babcock wears his disdain of people on his face. He never smiles in public. He looks like a bully boss and a control freak.

[@imcurtispenner]

Pretend for a moment this was a Fortune 500 company. Imagine a new hire walking into the building on the first day and being asked to open their phone and show their new boss all their photos. Unimaginable.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

It was not a Corporate order , there were o demands, the little whiners were worried about Players feeling "internal pressure", its a Rainblow joke.

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

Need a outside player rep for cases like this incase the player rep on the team is the coaches pet or whatever needs to be a clear easy way to go around the player rep on the team if needed( obviously probly is a way just maybe make it more clear so guys know )

[@richarddavies7330]

craig Button at his best

[@tallesttreeintheforest]

the young player who went to babcocks house this summer, had to be fantilli? right?

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

is the NHL too hierarchical? maybe would help for players to have something outside NHLPA? some kind of player support groups?

[@grangerjung4129]

Jarmo and John have embarrassed the owner. They are probably going to get 'cancelled' for this. Hey Jim Benning's probably looking for a job! 😃

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

Everyone involved in the hire needs to be fired it was giving a unqualified buddy a job

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Players gaining Power? Thay have a Union and the best Player Reps available on the Planet, This is just bitter ex-employees using Social Media to attack a man and to deprive him of his living. 100 million dollar lawsuit ASAP. Why not set a precedent. I would slap back with a Law Firm.Babs should spend a Million to win 100 Million, and Button can now be included in the paperwork. :)

[@RobertoJones-iv2ee]

Why are people so certain how this played out? I find it weird that people take super strong positions before there is evidence (other than that from Jenner) of what happened? All that Babock resigning tells me (so far) is that the team didn't want to deal with the distraction.

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

The NHLPA did an investigation that gathered evidence that directly contradicted what Jenner and Babs said (in a carefully crafted PR statement). We may never know all the details, but they felt they was enough to get him to leave. That might not have been Jenner's experience but the negative experience was with the younger players.

[@pjpredhomme7699]

@@kiroolioneaver8532 you can bet that a part of the deal that was cut - was Babs goes away - and it all dies down - inherit in that - is it would be behavior that is pretty embarrassing. There is no doubt Mike Babcock has a keen eye for detail in hockey and systems - but the guy has some pretty deep seated issues. Think of all the coaches over the years and the terrible behavior - but almost none rise to the level of disdain players have for Babcock.

[@tallesttreeintheforest]

more don granatos, less mike babcocks.

[@ongosk]

It’s pathetic when a man gets fired for wanting to share summer photos and get to know his players better. I hope all of the media gets fired for pathetic reasons too.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Sad the Rainbow must Go or we are all going to suffer.

[@larscederberg8564]

Predators will never learn

[@pjpredhomme7699]

by their nature they can't - it is who they are - so there really is nothing to learn. I think that aptly fits Babcock. Have you ever heard him say he was wrong - or sorry about the way he treated players ? I have not , he has never hinted at it - that to me would be GIANT red flag. Steve Dangle replayed the Columbus press conference when they hired Babs in July - and it was actually comical after the fact - listening to JD and Jarmo talk about how careful they were and how they did their due diligence - by asking Ken Hitchcock and Dave King ? I mean seriously - what did they think they were going to say? If I were the owner - I would say this is due diligence ? they are both gone by the end of the year

[@ZomBiE519_]

I really like Craig, but this was just a witch hunt. No one should have lost their job over something as trivial as this. 30-40 years ago guys would pull their wallets out to show pictures, just bc it's a phone now it's a problem?

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Agree Button is just a coward and to scared to speak anything but Rainblow talk. This is a hatchet-job 100%, sue the Mall.

[@77hoolie]

Craig Button - how hypocritical, before Babcock resigned, Craig remained very passive on Babcock. Now he’s outraged. He just flows with the majority - it would be great if he actually had an opinion before he waits and decides where popular opinion will land.

[@joeygrossbeak4092]

Hit it on the nail bro! I just laugh- ha ha ha

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Button is a traitor and on his way out anyways,hes like Burke he suckholes to the Rainblow.

[@rubberslug2153]

The youth are weak.

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Rainblow Warriors.

[@bspangenberg3002]

Babs is a terrible person and doesn’t deserve to be in the NHL. But let’s be frank, if this was an original 6 franchise it wouldn’t be a story about crappy culture. Gtfoh Craig

[@ericp4436]

seems like woke cancel culture to me soft as fuck players oh waaaaah a coach made you feel uncomfortable

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Sad we need to wash away the Rainblow for good.

[@richardzaluski]

Babcock = Creepy ?

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Button=Creepy?

[@sd921]

Me thinks Mr button doth projects too much, people like him always have the worst personal lives. And 2nd what a pos for using words ripped out of context by Howard Cosell as a character assassination

[@user-sn2ey1wm3q]

Normally a fan, but this amount of cluelessness as well as with the woke hockey world creating a bs narrative. This was blown way out of proportion to pay him back for past mistakes……which he paid for. Sickening. Btw, not a Babcock fan at all

[@BobsUruncle-dl7cs]

Its a Rainblow hitjob on Babcock, just like in jail online little weak freaks build gangs to survive, exactly the same with no policing, Babs needs to spend a million to win 100 million in a lawsuit.

[@MichaelGiovine]

This is a bit harsh . Babcock was old school, this is crazy for players emotional meltdown from information out in the media.If there is more there than what is in the media, then so be it fire the guy.

[@massivecumshot]

Gimme your phone so we can "get to know you" before you're allowed to comment. See how that works?

[@kiroolioneaver8532]

Torts is old school. The behaviour Babs has been alleged to have done crosses into abusive/controlling behaviour. There's a distinct difference.

[@pjpredhomme7699]

@@kiroolioneaver8532 Yeah don't know why this is hard for people - coaches are thought to push athletes to bring the best out of themselves - the john wayne shit - where they beat someone into submission and they end up winning in the end is - hollywood movie stuff. The line between encouragement and abuse is pretty easy. If you can only motivate by fear and intimidation - you are not going to be at it very long and shouldn't be.

[@joeygrossbeak4092]

So sad.....Taking the heat and never coached a game....