EDMONTON — Following news that the NHL has formally cleared Mike Babcock to be hired by the Edmonton Oilers, the Government of Alberta confirmed Thursday that the league had now conducted a more rigorous independent review of a single hockey coach than the province had performed before breaking Alberta Health Services into four separate agencies.

"The NHL looked into the matter, gathered information, and reached a considered conclusion before allowing one man to run one bench," said a spokesperson for Alberta Health, reading from a prepared statement. "We respect that process. We simply chose not to replicate it when reorganizing the delivery of care for 4.8 million people."

Sources within the ministry confirmed that the entire restructuring of AHS — which created distinct agencies for acute care, continuing care, primary care, and mental health and addiction — was evaluated against a checklist that asked one question: do we want to do this? The answer, officials noted, was yes.

"We are confident the restructuring is fine, in much the same way the NHL was confident about Babcock — which is to say, after careful consideration of how much we wanted to do it anyway," the spokesperson added. When asked whether any nurses, physicians, or rural health boards had been consulted with the same diligence the league applied to player testimonials, the spokesperson said the comparison was "not helpful."

Critics pointed out that a hockey hire affects roughly 23 players and a coaching staff, while the AHS reorganization affects every emergency room, surgical waitlist, and ambulance dispatch in the province. Government officials acknowledged the discrepancy but argued it actually strengthened their position, noting that a system that large "is far too important to slow down with a review."

At press time, the province had announced a fifth agency to oversee the other four, to be cleared for operation immediately and evaluated, if ever, sometime after it stops working.