Bettman sets 'decorum' bar for Babcock’s Oilers return
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman defends Mike Babcock’s coaching comeback but warns of off-ice expectations amid past workplace scrutiny.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has declared Mike Babcock’s return to the Edmonton Oilers coaching staff above reproach, but he’s now drawing a line on conduct. Bettman framed Babcock’s hiring as a league-approved move, insisting there’s no issue with the veteran coach rejoining the bench after his brief hiatus. Yet he simultaneously warned Babcock—now an assistant under Kris Knoblauch—that he must uphold a “certain level of decorum” off the ice.
