Blue Jackets announce Mike Babcock as new head coach

Mike Babcock has been named head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the club announced.

The 60-year-old replaces Brad Larsen, who was fired on April 15 after failing to reach the playoffs with the Blue Jackets. Babcock’s contract is for two seasons until the summer of 2025.

Babcock is returning to the NHL after a nearly four-year absence. Last he was in charge of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but was released on November 20, 2019.

He then volunteered as the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan hockey team for two years before announcing his retirement at the end of August 2022.

It’s official. ✔️

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Mike Babcock has been named the new head coach of the @BlueJacketsNHL. pic.twitter.com/F3VEafK2JE

— NHL (@NHL) July 1, 2023

In the NHL, Babcock has 700 wins as a head coach, which ranks him 12th in league history. He led the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto in a combined 1,301 games over 17 seasons, which ranks him 16th on the all-time list. In the playoffs, he has 90 wins and 74 losses and won the Stanley Cup in 2008.