When Mark Messier questioned the Edmonton Oilers‘ decision to hire Mike Babcock, part of his objection was aimed at the players who interviewed the coach before the club committed. Zach Hyman was one of those players. His answer was about as far from a counterattack as it gets.
Messier told ESPN he was “absolutely shocked” by the hire and said he was “horrified about the whole thing”, citing stories he’d heard from people he trusts about how Babcock treated players. He also took issue with the process itself, arguing that having Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Hyman vet the coach blurred the line between the dressing room and management.
Zach Hyman on Messier
Asked about it on Thursday, Hyman opened by explaining exactly what Messier means in Edmonton – using a detail from his own career.
“Listen, everybody has their own opinion. He was number 11. I was number 11 for the longest time, and I couldn’t wear the jersey here because he’s revered here,” Hyman said. “He’s a legend with the Oilers and in hockey, obviously. So I think that everybody in the game respects him.”
Messier’s No. 11 hangs in the rafters at Rogers Place, which is why Hyman, who wore that number throughout his years in Toronto, switched to 18 when he signed in Edmonton in 2021.
Hyman sends invite
Rather than dispute the criticism, Hyman invited Messier to come and judge for himself.
“I think if he really wants to see what’s going on firsthand, he’s more than welcome to come here. I think Oilers fans love him. There’s a lot of excitement. There’s a lot of positivity here. Nothing but good is happening right now,” Hyman said. “So to try and spew something negative right now – I think it’s his opinion. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for him, and if he’d like to see what’s going on, he’s more than welcome to come down.”
READ MORE: Fans have one big point about Mark Messier’s Babcock criticism
Babcock took a similar approach when he was asked about it the same day, calling Messier a “hard leader” and a “real leader” and recounting two occasions when the Hall of Famer had treated him and his family well, once at an Olympic medal ceremony and once at a Hockey Hall of Fame event.
“Mark Messier is a legend here. I have nothing but respect for him,” Babcock said.
He was also asked whether the criticism gets to him, and answered with a line he credited to his father.
“My dad had this unbelievable line. He said, ‘Son, if your knees hit my kitchen table, I probably care what you think,'” Babcock said. “In other words, it’s your family and the people around you. The rest is just noise, man. I’ve been doing this a long time.”
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