Mike Babcock resigns as coach of Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock resigned yesterday, "four days after allegations surfaced on a popular hockey podcast that he violated players’ privacy during offseason meetings ." The Blue Jackets announced him as their new head coach on July 1. Associate coach Pascal Vincent has been named head coach and "agreed to a two-year contract." It is a "whirlwind development" that occurred "less than a week after the accusations became public and three days before training camp opens Wednesday." Inquiries about the accusations were conducted by the NHL and NHLPA after former NHLer and TNT studio host Paul Bissonnette said Tuesday on the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast that Babcock was "demanding access to players' phones to scroll through photos." The Blue Jackets "pushed back initially, but started to reverse course" after the NHLPA's inquiry ( COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 9/17 ).