NBC Sports announced on Monday that long time NHL broadcaster Mike Milbury, who has been with the network for 14 years, would not be coming back for the 2021 season.
The move is hardly a surprise considering the multiple times Milbury landed in hot water for comments that were racist, sexist and outright insulting. For a brief primer, there was the time Milbury called P.K. Subban a “clown”, the time he called a convicted domestic abuser a “special player” and when he said women were nothing but a “distraction” to male players. That hardly begins to scratch the surface of Milbury’s comments, and suffice to say the list goes on and on.
In ditching Milbury, NBC had an opportunity to bring a new, talented and diverse view point into the fold. One that might push back against the narrative of old school hockey by old school hockey guys. Unfortunately, they decided to give an in-studio platform to Mike Babcock, a legendary NHL coach also known for being verbally abusive to players.
NBC’s NHL on-air broadcasters for this season. Mike Milbury will not return. pic.twitter.com/48zWeVXtNE
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) January 11, 2021
In 2019, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios recalled an incident in which Babcock verbally assaulted Johan Franzen on the bench during a game.
“Some of the things said on the bench, I don’t know what he said to him behind closed doors one-on-one, but he blatantly verbally assaulted him during the game on the bench,” Chelios said on a podcast, as reported by the CBC.
Per the CBC, Franzen later confirmed the incident.
“I get the shivers when I think about it. That incident occurred against Nashville in the playoffs. It was coarse, nasty and shocking. But that was just one out of a hundred things he did. The tip of the iceberg,” Franzen said.
In addition to allegations of his abusive style as Red Wings head coach, Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan also addressed allegations of mental abuse against Babcock, saying the tactics were not “appropriate or acceptable.”
In one widely reported incident, Babcock had then rookie Mitch Marner rank his teammates by how much effort they put forward on the ice. Babcock later threw Marner under the bus and shared that list with the team.
In the context of these allegations, which haven’t been denied or really even disputed, NBC isn’t showing any growth or even accountability. By giving Babcock a national hockey platform, they’re condoning his abusive style, and showing that there are little to no consequences for the mental anguish he inflicted on players. Babcock’s coaching “style” is one of the many toxic bedrocks of a hockey culture that desperately needs to change. NBC letting him have a nightly megaphone to spew those opinions is the last thing the sport needs.
Importantly, Babcock hasn’t done any public growth or reflection on they way he has treated players. Despite being out of a head coaching job this season, his status in the NHL likely means he’ll escape any significant consequences for his actions. The circle then, just goes round and round.
Removing Milbury could have been a sign of real growth for NBC and for the sport. Instead, it’s pretty clear hockey is determined to stay stuck in its old fashioned, toxic ways.