Former defenceman Mike Commodore has been a critic of Babcock, stemming from Commodore's days in the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's farm system. Among many different accusations of mistreatment, Commodore alleged that Babcock held him back in Cincinnati because Babcock was personally biased against him, doing the same thing a decade later in Detroit after reassuring Commodore before the season that he would get playing time.[48] Babcock addressed Commodore's criticisms in an appearance on Cam Janssen's podcast in March 2021, stating that Commodore was scratched because he did not perform better than other defenders on the 2011 team—he claimed that he did not recall much interacting with Commodore in Cincinnati—and refuted that Commodore was scratched because of a personal vendetta.[49] Commodore rejected this in a Tweet, saying Babcock "said the exact opposite on the phone July 1, 2011 you piece of shit."[50]
Other players have also voiced criticism of Babcock for his management style and his treatment of his players. Johan Franzén, who played for Babcock in Detroit, praised Babcock's preparation and tactical acuity as a coach, but called him a "terrible man, the worst person I've ever met," and accused Babcock of verbally abusing him, which was corroborated by former teammate Chris Chelios.[51] Babcock was accused of mistreating Mitch Marner during his rookie season, by asking him to rank his teammates in order of their work ethic and later sharing the list with other members of the team. Babcock confirmed the incident after it was reported, expressing his regret and stating that he had apologized to Marner at the time.[52] While covering Babcock's resignation from the Blue Jackets on their podcast Spittin' Chiclets, Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney described him as "a truly bad person" and his coaching methods as personally-directed psychological abuse with questionable relevance to hockey itself.[53] They contrasted Babcock with John Tortorella, another coach who is notoriously tough on his players, by noting that Tortorella's methods are hockey related and he treats his players respectfully when off of the ice.[53]
Babcock has been accused of scratching players ahead of games that are of personal significance, such as removing Mike Modano from the lineup prior to his 1500th game,[54] benching Chelios at the 2009 Winter Classic in his hometown of Chicago, and not playing Jason Spezza in the Maple Leafs opening night game against his former team the Ottawa Senators.[55]
His brief tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets was marked by controversy after it was first reported that he had asked players in pre-season meetings to look through photos on their personal phones. Although the team and captain Boone Jenner initially downplayed the alleged incidents, an investigation by the NHLPA revealed that several of the younger members of the Blue Jackets were uncomfortable with Babcock's approach, and that in at least one instance, Babcock spent several minutes looking through a player's phone.[56] The controversy resulted in Babcock announcing his resignation before coaching a game for the Blue Jackets.[56]
Babcock's coaching methodologies, personality, and interpersonal interactions have reportedly led to the coach being broadly unpopular among hockey players and several hockey circles.[30][27][57][58] Revelations around Babcock's behaviour have been seen as broadly hurting his reputation publicly since 2019, as although Babcock's coaching acumen has been generally praised as being superior to contemporaries (at times, being seen as the best coach in the sport),[30] his off-putting personality has been regarded as a turnoff for employment opportunities and his overall professional legacy.[30][27]
