Connor McDavid just delivered a strong public verdict on Oilers head coach Mike Babcock.
For a coach with a polarizing reputation, the praise from his franchise player was direct and unprompted by any scandal. It was also glowing.
"He's come in and set a standard here that we strive to meet every day," McDavid said. "When we don't we hear about it. That's what we want. He's been great honestly. I can't say anything else. He seems to care for the people around him which is important."
McDavid didn't name a single previous coach, and nothing in his comments takes aim at anyone. But when a captain says he wants to be told when the team falls short, he is describing a room that accepts accountability from the top.
The timing helps Babcock. The Oilers are 14-3-3 and sit first in the Pacific Division, and they have won three straight after beating the Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday. We looked at Edmonton's new identity under Babcock last week, and McDavid's words fit that picture.
The road record is the loudest part of it. Edmonton is 7-0-1 away from home, and it heads to Toronto on Saturday.
Why McDavid's words carry weight for Babcock
A star of McDavid's stature doesn't need to say anything nice about his coach. He is 29, he has 49 points in 20 games this season, and he has the kind of standing in the room that lets him say nothing at all.
Instead he chose to say the coach cares about the people around him. That is the one trait Babcock's critics have questioned most, and the captain pointed straight at it.
Edmonton's 81 goals for and 58 against give the endorsement some backing. A +23 goal differential suggests the standard McDavid describes is showing up on the ice, where it counts.
There is still a long season ahead, and a coach with Babcock's history is never more than a bad stretch from a hot seat. McDavid has also never been shy about chasing history, as Wayne Gretzky recently made clear with his bold prediction about the Oilers captain.
For now, the captain is fully on board. The Oilers play the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Saturday, and the standard McDavid talked about will be tested right away.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
How long will McDavid and Babcock stay this much in sync?
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