“We’ll Be Better”: Babcock Calls Out Oilers Practice, McDavid Responds

“Obviously, the standard’s high around here,” responded Connor McDavid when asked for his thoughts after Edmonton Oilers head coach said Monday’s practice wasn’t very good. “It’s something that I love and I support. I want the standard to be at the very highest and if he didn’t like practice, he didn’t like practice. We’ll be better tomorrow.”

“I didn’t think this one was very pretty,” said Babcock when he met with the media today. “I like the puck to be on tape, I like us to go fast, I like us to listen, understand what we’re doing, and I like us to compete, and I didn’t think we were competitive enough there.”

As McDavid noted, the standard is high in Edmonton these days. It’s just the third real on-ice practice the Oilers have had and the coach is already being blunt about the way the team is taking instructions and applying them. It’s what the leadership group wanted and asked for and Babcock is delivering.

He didn’t call out any specific players; he just said the group’s overall response wasn’t “pretty.” He expects more.

During a previous interview with the 32 Thoughts podcast, McDavid said he wants the coach to coach the way Babcock does and there’s going to be a lot of buy-in from the players. Only if he really steps out of line will the players step in. Monday’s practice was not one of those cases. It’s exactly what Babcock should be doing.

“Babs is there to be Babs and to coach the way that he sees fit,” McDavid said. “We’re also a team and teammates who care about each other. If there’s an area or a place where we have to step in, of course we’re going to do that. But we would do that with any coach. It doesn’t matter who it is.”

McDavid and the rest of the group will hear Babcock’s comments and hopefully respond with a better effort on Tuesday. It’s the final skate before their second preseason game, a rematch in Winnipeg against the Jets.

Next: Hellebuyck Open to Oilers Trade — Should Edmonton Explore It?