A week ago, the Blue Jackets went through one of the most unique weeks an NHL team has ever experienced leading into a training camp.
This week, excitement looms today as Columbus opens its 23rd training camp, presented by OhioHealth, with on-ice practices beginning tomorrow at Nationwide Arena and the OhioHealth Ice Haus.
The dividing line between the two came Sunday, when the Blue Jackets announced head coach Mike Babcock had resigned and associate coach Pascal Vincent had been promoted to the top job.
Speaking Monday at the team’s annual media luncheon, Blue Jackets players were eager to move forward, but they also said the team had come together in previous days in the way that only going through difficult times can provide.
“I think the past week has really probably brought us together closer,” captain Boone Jenner said. “I am proud of the group for that, to be honest. It’s a different situation. No one has ever been in this spot. The Players Association came in and we had lot of talks as a group, and sometimes that can bring us closer together. That was the case for us.”
Added Johnny Gaudreau: “It’s hard not to (come together) when you go through something like that.”
In less than a week, an allegation about the offseason meetings between first-year coach Babcock and players led to an investigation by the league and its Players Association. In Columbus, that led to CBJ players having a group discussion about the situation late last week.
The team’s leadership council said everyone’s voices were heard, and the end result was a healthy discussion.
“I think we were all on the same page by the end of it, the whole team,” alternate captain Zach Werenski said. “We’re in this together, and as a group, we’re gonna make decisions and have those conversations. However we feel, it’s a group thing.
“Our group is one right now, and we’re all united in this. I feel like maybe it could bring guys closer together. It feels like today was a good day. Guys were on the ice battling, getting ready for camp.”
On the ice, it’s a crucial training camp for the Blue Jackets, who are coming off the second-worst season, points percentage-wise, in team history. But there are reasons for excitement, including the acquisitions of veteran defensemen Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov; the arrivals from Europe of Alexandre Texier and Dmitri Voronkov; the addition of No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli; and the returns to health of such players as Werenski, Justin Danforth, Jake Bean and Yegor Chinakhov.
How much that will all help the bottom line in the standings remains to be seen, but there are reasons for optimism, especially as the Blue Jackets start to work one of the best prospect pools in the league into the mix.
“We’ve had some great additions,” Jenner said. “Obviously with seeing younger guys coming in, and we have Severson and Provorov, so it’s a good mix of guys. We have a lot of guys from last year, but one of the biggest things is everyone is healthy and everyone is back on the ice. That’s a good sign for us.
“We still have a bitter taste from last year. As a group, that’s where our focus is.”
Most team members have been back in Columbus in recent weeks and returned to the ice together in preparations for camp, and Werenski said bonding exercises like golf rounds and team dinners have helped get everyone on the same page.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “We obviously brought some guys in this summer. Guys are healthy again. I saw in Traverse City, the prospects looked great. I think healthy competition and that internal competition and battle, it's great for our room. I think it’s going to be exciting come camp here.”
Columbus will also have a calming influence in Vincent, who is a familiar face to the players after serving as the team’s associate head coach the past two years. While he’s been thrust into his first NHL head coaching job in trying circumstances, the Montreal native is a strong communicator who is respected among team members.
His message has been a simple one since taking over.
“We’re going to move on,” Vincent said. “I know our players have been working extremely hard this summer. I know what we did as coaches, and our focus right now is we are looking ahead. What can we do today to get ready for tomorrow? We’re going to get ready for Thursday, we are going to be on the ice Thursday, and we’re going to get going. That’s our plan.”
