Vincent preaches work ethic, communication in his new role as head coach

Given the chance to introduce himself to the Blue Jackets fan base Monday in his first full day on the job as Blue Jackets head coach, Pascal Vincent laid out what he expects the characteristics of his team to be.

“I’m highly competitive,” Vincent said. “That’s one thing. But I know that the process is what is going to bring wins at the end of the day. I’m really focused on the process, but in a simple way, let’s put it this way. If the players work hard, that’s gonna be easy for them. If they don’t, then we’ll have some chats.

“But we are going to be working hard. We are going to be fast, we are going to be structured, we are going to be disciplined, and then we are going to deal with issues one by one. And we are going to stay in the moment. That’s my approach.”

It might take a little time for Blue Jackets fans to get to know Vincent, whose promotion to head coach took place Sunday night with the announcement of Mike Babcock’s resignation. A Montreal native who has been the Jackets’ associate head coach for the past two seasons, Vincent has been a constant presence around Nationwide Arena, but fans haven’t had the chance to see him as one of the faces of the team until this week.

On the other hand, Blue Jackets players will need little introduction to the soon-to-be-52-year-old (his birthday is Friday), who coached the team’s forwards and power-play unit the past two seasons. And no one has known Vincent longer than Patrik Laine, as Vincent was an assistant coach with Winnipeg when the Jets drafted Laine and inserted him into the lineup back in 2016.

Based on his reaction today at the team’s annual media luncheon, Laine is ready to go under a head coach he knows well – and added that he senses a similar vibe among teammates as training camp opens Wednesday.

“The only things I've heard are positive,” Laine said. “I’ve known him since I got to Winnipeg at 18 years old, so I’ve known him for a longer time than most of the guys have. … I’m super excited. I’ve told him that straight up. I haven’t been this excited in a long time. So I’m obviously super happy for him. Guys respect him and appreciate him. I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”

It might be Vincent’s first NHL head coaching job, but he doesn’t lack experience behind a bench as he aims to help turn around a Jackets team that finished near the bottom of the NHL standings a year ago. Vincent has coached in just about every other situation possible, turning a short playing career – he skated one pro season in the ECHL after playing junior hockey in the QMJHL – into a fulfilling one as a mentor.

Vincent has been coaching at the top levels of hockey since 1999-2000, when he was hired as the head coach of Cape Breton of the QMJHL. Two years later, he added general manager duties with the Screaming Eagles, a dual position he held for seven seasons before three years in the same roles heading Montreal in the QMJHL.

From there, Vincent spent 10 seasons in the Winnipeg organization, first serving five years as an NHL assistant before five more as head coach of the Jets’ AHL team. Along the way, Vincent was named the coach of the year in the QMJHL in 2008 with Cape Breton and the AHL in 2018 with Manitoba.

He’s interviewed around the league for head coaching jobs, including with the Blue Jackets in both 2021 and this summer, but the timing and opportunity finally aligned this time around.

“Pascal is prepared for this opportunity,” general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He has earned it. While the circumstances are less than ideal, he is a very good coach, and nothing should detract from that. He was a strong candidate as we went through the process earlier this year, and we are fortunate to have him in a position to lead our team.”

Through his time with the Blue Jackets, Vincent has developed a reputation as a demanding coach but one who is also interested in getting to know his players away from the ice. He’s spoken of having an open-door policy with players, and he preaches communication that goes in both directions.

“If the player knows that you have his best interest at heart, I think the gray areas disappear,” Vincent said. “They know we care about them. We are going to keep the door open as we always did, but we are just going to be honest with them.

“Listen, I have no secret plays in my game. It is what it is. We are going to be honest, we are going to tell the truth, and that’s what they expect. NHL players are elite professionals. That’s what they expect. They want to know the truth, and they want to have a conversation.”

Vincent said he and his family have come to love Columbus in his two seasons with the Blue Jackets, and he also spoke glowingly of the support The 5th Line gave the team a year ago during a tough season. His hope is to help put the Blue Jackets and the market of Columbus on the map, and that will come hand-in-hand with appealing to the fan base.

“If this team works hard and competes, they will support us,” he said of the fans. “And that’s what we need to do. We need to compete. There’s no other way to win hockey games anyway. If you don’t have that, you don’t have anything. So we are going to compete, and (the fans) are going to see it. Words are cheap. I get it. But when they see us out there, they’ll see it.”

Captain Boone Jenner has gotten to know Vincent the past two seasons and agreed that the Blue Jackets are ready to move forward with a coach they know well captaining the ship.

“Knowing Pazzy, he definitely deserves this,” Jenner said. “He’s a really hard-working, intelligent coach that cares about everyone in that room. I’m super excited; I know the other guys are as well. It seems so quick that camp opens in two days, but we are not worried about Pazzy at all. We know we’re going to be prepared in every aspect. That’s a credit to him and how he goes about his business and how much work he puts in.”