The Mike Babcock Saga: Pascal Vincent tells a very different version

The Mike Babcock saga has received a lot of attention in recent weeks.

During an interview with Jean-Charles Lajoie on Thursday, Pascal Vincent wanted to present his version of the facts.

“I can only talk about what I know. I don’t know what the stories are. Even if I did, I wouldn’t say it. These are private matters, but I’ll be honest. The first time we met, Babs called me the day before. He told me we’d get to know each other.” On each other, that I could show him pictures of my family and that he would show me some of his family. It was his house, and obviously his wife was there. I found that quite true. I was actually excited to show him my family and my parents and what I do in the summer. There was no Any interference in the matter.”

The Blue Jackets’ new coach has had time to build a relationship with Babcock and was not indifferent to his departure.

“It was particularly surprising. It happened in the morning and we found out Mike was leaving, and we were in a four-hour meeting. We talked about the season and training camp and watched videos. Early in the afternoon, a deputy called me to say he saw Mike leave. It happened very quickly. We worked hard that summer and met up a few times. We spent a lot of time together. And soon after that I called him. He was in the car. It was a fairly short conversation. He told me it wasn’t going to work out. I could tell it was Emotionally. And when he left, we had to find a solution.

Now head coach, Vincent, says he’s proud of his journey and the resilience he’s shown to get here.

“The path you have to take to get to your destination is sometimes different from the other path. When I look back, I have to say I wouldn’t change anything. I have no doubt that I can do the job and that I’m ready. It will be my first contract, but I don’t feel like it “I’ve worked with good people. I’ve been around hockey for a long time. The time I spent with Paul Morris, Brad Larsen, Claude Noel, and even with Mike Babcock over the summer are all elements that helped me understand more different philosophies and increase my baggage of experience. Not Not only confident, but I believe the moment has come at the right time.

The former Montreal Jr. driver knew he was close to achieving his goal of becoming a head coach in the NHL. Other training courses have also shown interest in him in recent months.

“I didn’t have a summer. I interviewed with the Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames and New York Rangers. All three interviews were completely different. Those are good experiences. The Flames and Rangers were very honest. They told me exactly what they were looking for. Calgary was looking more internally.” “And New York wanted an experienced coach. They still wanted to meet me. In the end, it worked out very well. I was in the race until the end.”

Watch the interview in question in the video above.