The secret to Mike Babock's success with the Edmonton Oilers may be making his best even better: 9 Things

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeCult Of Hockey The secret to Mike Babock's success with the Edmonton Oilers may be making his best even better: 9 Things Author of the article: By Kurt Leavins Published Sep 20, 2026 Last updated 30 minutes ago 5 minute read Join the conversation Mike Babcock First day of the skating sessions for the Edmonton Oilers training camp at the Downtown Community Arena on Thursday, September 17, 2026. Photos by Shaughn Butts - Postmedia PHOTO BY SHAUGHN BUTTS /10112716A Article content I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Article content If your best players are better than their best players, you will win nine times out of ten. Article content Article content And for all the reasons the Oilers brought in Mike Babcock, I think that is reason Number One. Article content That and more in this edition of… Article content 9 Things Article content 9. One of the guys I thought the Oilers may consider bringing back was Curtis Lazar. But neither Edmonton nor any other NHL team decided to do that. In the end, Lazar (according to multiple sources) has instead signed in Swiss Pro League. Article content Article content 8. The Oilers have launched a brand, new app. I downloaded it on Saturday. It provides mobile, one-stop shopping for all Oilers content. It is easy to navigate and highly visual. It also makes good business sense to bring all eyes and ears to one spot, in terms of audience data and revenues. Article content Headline News Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content 7. It is a fascinating story attached to Devon Levi’s new mask. Goalie masks are an art form in our game. Levi had the good fortune to hang out with Oilers Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr before Levi was even an Oiler. Now, his mask pays homage to one of the best to ever do it in the history of the game. Article content 6. Evan Bouchard (Second Star), Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were all very good in a 5-2 home win over Winnipeg Saturday night. Ryan Shea (1-2-3) was the game’s First Star and did not look to have an ounce of panic in his game on the first pairing. Alex Formenton was Second Star. He has elite-level speed, scored and played a very sound two-way game. It was all against AHL+ level…