“Spittin Chiclets” Podcast Spits on Blue Jackets, Babcock

Social media was set ablaze on Tuesday morning by the popular “Spittin Chiclets” podcast. Former NHL player and current NHL on TNT panelist Paul Bissonnette put Mike Babcock and the Columbus Blue Jackets on blast over an alleged scandal involving pictures on captain Boone Jenner’s phone.

“Biz” then quickly doubled and tripled down on his comments, saying this rumor was 100% true and that he had proof from multiple sources. The Blue Jackets quickly began investigating the issue and ultimately released the following statement, refuting the entire thing with comments from both Babcock and Jenner:

Still, the fellas over at Spittin Chiclets were skeptical. As were many in the hockey world, but ultimately, thanks to the hard work of a real journalist (not a podcaster), we got an answer from the NHL with word from the NHLPA in regards to the rumor:

From a CBJ fan perspective, this whole situation seems unfair. As if we aren’t laughed upon enough by the rest of the hockey world (our mere existence seems to cause drama amongst other fanbases); now we have to deal with a podcast that has some sort of weird hatred for our head coach dropping rumors on us.

We know Mike Babcock has a history of grievances filed against him by other NHL players. But we also know that he’s worked hard to change that perception of himself. We also know that this is probably his last chance to coach hockey at any level. He knows that too. So unless he’s the stupidest 700-win coach in the history of all sports; this whole thing seems like nothing but a baseless rumor made up by someone who wanted some clicks on a slow hockey news day.

Having a popular podcast with such a voice could allow Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, and the rest of the Spittin Chiclets crew in a situation to be the voice of the modern NHL player. That could be a powerful tool – or, if they don’t do their homework, it could be an awful one. That seems to be the case today.