Babcock vs. Tortorella: Same Gruff Exterior, Different

With all the chatter about Mike Babcock possibly getting another NHL opportunity in Edmonton, it’s hard not to look at what John Tortorella is doing right now with the Vegas Golden Knights — pushing them into a serious Stanley Cup Final run in 2026.

On the surface, these two guys look like they belong in the same category. Old-school. Loud. Intense. Zero patience for anything they see as sloppy hockey. The kind of coaches who don’t sugarcoat anything and make it very clear what they expect the second they walk into a room. But once you actually sit with it a bit, they’re not really the same type of coach at all.

Tortorella is one crusty veteran coach.

Tortorella is as blunt as it gets. He’ll bark at players, call guys out in public, and make it very clear when he thinks the standard isn’t being met. He’s emotional, he’s reactive, and he’s never been interested in carefully polishing his message for the outside world. But the key difference is this: what you see is what you get. There isn’t really a hidden layer behind it. Players might not always love the delivery, but most understand it’s hockey-first, not personal.

Underneath all that noise, Tortorella is still a structure-and-accountability coach. He builds his identity through effort, defensive responsibility, and hard play without the puck. His teams usually look the same: aggressive, organized, and uncomfortable to play against. And even now, in Vegas, you can see a bit of evolution. He’s talked more about listening to veteran players and not overcoaching every detail. That’s a coach adjusting, not changing who he is.

Related: Babcock, Marner & Why an Old NHL Coaching Story Still Echoes

Babcock’s approach is a bit different from Tortorella’s.

Babcock’s reputation is more complicated. The issue has never really been whether he understands hockey. Nobody questions that. It’s more about how his methods land on players, especially younger ones, and how personal things can sometimes feel when the message crosses a line. That’s where the comparison starts to break apart.

Both coaches can eventually wear out a room. Both can push players hard. But Tortorella tends to leave players feeling like they were part of something difficult but straightforward. Babcock’s approach has at times been viewed as more uncomfortable, especially when trust comes up.

That’s also why the Edmonton chatter feels different depending on which coach you’re talking about. One is seen as blunt but transparent. The other carries more baggage around how that intensity gets delivered.

There’s some support for Babcock in the Oilers’ room.

In today’s NHL, neither style is exactly “safe” anymore. But watching Tortorella in a Cup Final run right now is a reminder that the old-school voice isn’t gone — it just has to come with clarity, consistency, and a room that still believes in the message.

And that’s where the real difference between these two guys actually lives.

Should Babcock get a chance with the Oilers, and there’s reported support in the room for that, you'd have to think that he'd become more collaborative with players simply because Connor McDavid is the Oilers captain. If it happens, it's going to be very interesting to see the relationship built between those two. It could be one made in heaven — or go completely the lower route.