NHL coach Mike Babcock John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and subsequently confirmed by the team, Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock resigned from his post on Sunday afternoon. Assistant coach Pascal Vincent has been named the club’s new head coach and has signed a two-year contract extension.

Columbus officially named Babcock their head coach on July 1 after his previous contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fired him in November of 2019, expired. This week, Babcock was the subject of a joint NHL/NHLPA investigation spurred by allegations that Babcock asked to view phones and/or photographs of several Blue Jackets players, originally reported by former NHL player Paul Bissonnette on a recent episode of the "Spittin’ Chiclets" podcast.

NHLPA officials met Friday after meeting with several Blue Jackets players and staff and said they “provided the NHL with an update on our ongoing review” in a statement released after the meeting. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the now-concluded NHLPA investigation “left no path for Babcock to continue as coach.” Friedman reported on an earlier edition of Sportsnet’s "32 Thoughts" podcast last week that while veterans Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau were comfortable with their exchanges with Babcock regarding the photo-sharing exercise, multiple younger players on the roster did not feel the same way.

The Blue Jackets have yet to release a statement. At the time of writing, it’s unclear what path the Blue Jackets will take to name an interim head coach with training camp starting this week.

By resigning, Babcock walks away from the remainder of a two-year contract that was set to pay him a total of $8M.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Brad Keselowski breaks 110-race winless streak at Darlington
Pacers blow out Knicks on Mother’s Day, even series at 2-2
Hawks GM 'shocked' that his team won the NBA Draft Lottery
Prolific former Brewers, A's slugger announces retirement
Watch: Padres star passes father on all-time home runs list
Saints to sign veteran offensive lineman
Smother's Day: Pacers shut down Knicks in first half of Game 4
Flyers goaltender suspended from international play for three years
Pistons make wrong kind of history at NBA Draft Lottery
Watch: Pacers C Myles Turner makes absurd three-pointer in first quarter vs. Knicks
Hawks win 2024 NBA Draft Lottery
Giants place key outfielder on injured list
Broncos release former Super Bowl champion WR
Novak Djokovic thinks water bottle incident may have played role in surprising loss
Steelers agree to deal with veteran CB
Bruins captain out for Game 4 vs. Panthers
Veteran WR announces retirement from NFL
Mavericks come from behind to down Thunder, take 2-1 series lead
Stars continue road dominance with Game 3 win over Avalanche
Watch: Paul Skenes wastes no time showing why Pirates drafted him No. 1 overall

Want more Blue Jackets news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.