Mike Commodore has been forthright in his assessment of the Edmonton Oilers and their coaching staff. However, his most recent social media post might be his most concerning one to date.
On Friday morning, the ex-NHL defenseman used X to send a harsh message to the families of players participating in the Oilers’ development camp this week. According to his belief that the group had recently hired “a scumbag” who was present in the structure, Commodore advised parents to keep an eye on their kids. Parents were also advised not to leave their children unattended with the person.
Commodore did not explicitly mention anybody in the post, but the timing and context of the communication strongly indicate that it is related to his long-running campaign against Oilers head coach Mike Babcock.
More than ten years have passed since the former blue liner and Babcock had their argument. Commodore claims Babcock duped him into joining the Detroit Red Wings during free agency with pledges of a prominent part, only to keep him as a healthy scratch for the majority of the season. Commodore has always said that the event messed up his NHL career. Babcock, for his part, has stated that the decision was solely based on performance and that Commodore did not merit playing time more than the team’s other defensemen.
Commodore has established a second career as one of the sport’s most outspoken critics since leaving professional hockey. When other ex-players expressed comparable worries about Babcock’s management approach during the coach’s brief and contentious stay with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, his ongoing public attacks on Babcock gained momentum and grew stronger after Babcock was let go by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.
Commodore immediately elevated his rhetoric after Babcock’s appointment by Edmonton. He issued a number of warnings to Oilers fans and parents in the days after the announcement. The Oilers organization reportedly sent him a “threatening email,” he also said.
It should be mentioned that Commodore has admitted to using social media in a provocative manner, and some analysts have questioned whether his posts are intended to stir up engagement rather than genuine alarm. There hasn’t been a single independent source that has verified any of the particular charges suggested in his most recent statement.
However, there has been a lot of interest in the piece online, and opinions are divided between those who believe Commodore is an essential voice of responsibility and those who think he has gone too far.
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