Messier, Babcock and the Question of Player Power

There’s something a little funny about hockey arguments that come back around years later. Mark Messier is now questioning the Edmonton Oilers because Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman were involved in hiring Mike Babcock. Messier worries about what happens when players and management get too close together. If things go wrong, he asks, who do the players turn to? It’s a fair question.

But there was a time when Mark Messier didn't exactly believe players should stay in their lane.

Messier Was Never Just a Player.

Back when Messier was playing, being a captain could mean something very different than it does today. Some captains wore the letter and went out for the opening faceoff. Others had the ear of ownership. Messier was firmly in the second group.

Mike Keenan has told how he ended up coaching the Vancouver Canucks after Messier pushed for him. According to Keenan, Messier went directly to owner John McCaw and said he wanted Keenan as coach. By the time Keenan sat down to negotiate, the important decision had already been made. That wasn't exactly a player saying, “I'm here to play and let management worry about the rest.”

Other stories from Messier’s playing days paint the same picture. Brian Burke wrote about one particularly uncomfortable incident involving Kevin Weekes after Weekes had been acquired by Vancouver. Messier wanted Weekes moved, and Burke described a confrontation that ended with Messier making his wishes very clear.

Hockey was a different business then. Players had power, but it wasn't always written into a job description.

Maybe the Game Hasn't Changed as Much as We Think.

That's what makes the current Babcock argument interesting. McDavid, Draisaitl and Hyman didn't secretly take over the Oilers. They were asked for their opinions, met with Babcock and apparently came away comfortable with the choice. Management still made the decision. That's not the same thing as a player demanding a coach and having ownership simply make it happen.

But the larger question Messier raises is a good one: How much influence should star players have over organizational decisions? There's probably no magic number.

The modern NHL is built around its stars more than ever. Teams want their best players happy, involved and committed. At the same time, somebody still has to manage the room, hire the coach and make the difficult decisions when things go sideways.

Maybe that's the real lesson here in what Messier is pointing out.

Messier isn't wrong to ask whether the lines can get blurry. But it's worth remembering that he spent much of his career standing pretty close to those lines himself. And perhaps that's just hockey. The powerful players have always had a voice.

The only thing that keeps changing is who gets to decide how loud that voice should be.