SvoNotes: Blue Jackets mothers' trip a special time for players, moms

SvoNotes is a weekly column written by BlueJackets.com reporter Jeff Svoboda.
Terri Jenner didn't show up for the Blue Jackets' annual mothers' trip with a "C" stitched onto her attire, but it may have felt that way.
Is the mom of the captain also the captain of the moms? Not necessarily -- Jenner said being in charge is "not really my comfort zone," unlike for her son -- but she does have seniority as the mother of just one of four players in franchise history to play for at least 10 seasons with the club.

As a result, she's seen a lot of fellow moms come and go, something driven home when this year's group of 16 moms arrived in Columbus. Just five other moms present have sons who have played in at least two seasons with the club before this year, and even that list includes such relatively new faces as Liam Foudy and Gavin Bayreuther.
That meant this year's trip was about making new friends and creating new bonds -- not that it's hard when the moms get together.
"We're sitting with different people on the bus rides, different people at practice and at the rink," Jenner said. "You're having different conversations with all of them. I don't even know how to put it into words; it's really been amazing. It warms my heart. It's really been exciting and fun, and a lot of the stories are so similar in nature."
After all, it doesn't matter whether you're raising a young hockey player in Central Ohio (like Jane Roslovic, Jane Kuraly and Holly Meyer), doing so all the way across the continent in Vancouver (like Anita Johnson and Tracey Christiansen) or driving from rink to rink all the way in Sweden (like Anna Maria Bjork). At the end of the day, a hockey mom is a hockey mom, someone whose dedication, encouragement and support were crucial to her son making it to the highest level.

"It's a camaraderie of them coming together and meeting each other from all over the world," Boone Jenner said. "It's pretty special. We wouldn't be here without them, so to have them along with us, it's almost 'Bring Your Parent to Work' day for us. It's pretty fun. They enjoy it, and it's nice for them to see how we do things day to day and treat them well because we wouldn't be here without them."
The Blue Jackets moms arrived at Nationwide Arena on Monday morning, where each mom and player posed for photographs on the team bench before taking a group picture. The mothers then watched practice before heading with their sons to the airport, where they were on the team plane to Pittsburgh for Tuesday night's game.
The players and moms had dinner together Monday night in the Steel City, then the moms were treated to a pregame happy hour and a suite for Tuesday's game. They then returned to Columbus and watched Wednesday's game against Buffalo from a party tower in Nationwide Arena.
"I'm enjoying it so much," said Anita Johnson, the mother of CBJ rookie Kent Johnson. "Seeing a new city, being able to be around Kent and the other players that I know and meeting all the moms, I've been absolutely thrilled. Everyone has been wonderful. We were just saying how well we're getting along and loving every minute of it."
Teams throughout hockey have been doing dads trips over the past few seasons, a tradition the Blue Jackets started in 2010. Back in 2018-19, the organization decided to include moms for the first time, and from here on out, the tentative plan is to go back and forth between mothers and fathers each season.
The dads last tagged along with the Jackets back in the fall of 2019, but pandemic restrictions the past two seasons meant there were no such trips. Head coach Brad Larsen is now in charge for the first time when there's a parents' trip, and he said he was excited to see the tradition return.
"It's a neat thing they started here several years ago," Larsen said. "When I was in the league, they didn't have anything like this, but I know my mom or dad would have loved to do something like this. I think it's great.
"Now being a parent and knowing what goes into the sacrifice that these moms have put in -- and their dads -- for their careers, it's a small slice that they get back. They get to get a glimpse of what they do on a day-to-day basis. I think it's fantastic."
The players themselves said they were excited to show off their routines and what it's like to be a professional athlete to their mothers, who don't often get to be around for the day to day. On the other hand, a few of the moms said they were pleasantly surprised by how much time they were able to spend with their sons on the trip.
At the end of the day, it's a win-win for everyone involved.
"We're used to coming to the game, watching the game, and then you get five minutes, 10 minutes maybe after with them," Terri Jenner said. "Sometimes you get to go for a little bite to eat. But here we're coming to warmup, we're on the bus with them the whole time there and back, then we're together at dinner. It's a little closer time than you normally get to spend with each other, and it's been really nice."

Best Of Luck, Jake

The first weekly SvoNotes piece of the season
focused on Jakub Voracek, the 33-year-old, 15-year NHL veteran and his unique role in the Blue Jackets locker room.
He's loud, he's funny, he keeps everyone on their toes, and he was serving as a mentor for one of the youngest teams in the NHL.
There aren't many throwbacks like Voracek left in the league these days, and unfortunately, time will tell if even his days in the league have come to a close.
Voracek hasn't played since being struck by a high stick in a Nov. 4 game vs. Colorado in Finland, and
he acknowledged that he continues to battle concussion-like symptoms
. Simply put, the chances are "very slim," in Voracek's words, that he is able to return this season.
It's a yellow light, not a red light, Larsen said, and Voracek confirmed he's not declaring retirement at this point. He remains under contract through next season, giving him a lot of time to continue to try to get better, and if he said if he can return to the ice, he will. If not, he's healthy enough he's capable of living a normal life despite having had a number of head injuries in his career.
After his meeting with the media Monday, I couldn't help but think about how it feels like Voracek just belongs in a locker room, and how unfortunate it is that he's now in limbo. A player's role in the locker room just isn't the same when he's an injured player, and Voracek knows it, saying he'll help anyone who wants it but also not wanting to step on any toes.
"If one of the guys would like to ask me some questions about hockey, I'll be happy to answer," Voracek said. "That's about it. I know how it is when somebody is hurt, that you usually don't spend much time with your teammates. But it is what it is. If somebody is going to need my help or want my help, I'm here. If not, I'm fine with that."
Larsen said he wants Voracek around as much as possible, but again, it's just not the same when you're not in the fight on the ice each day. For 15 years, that has been Voracek's life, and he admitted that has been the hardest part about the past month.
At the same time, he acknowledged being sentimental about things wouldn't do him much good, either. The game doesn't stop for anyone, even someone as popular in his own room and around the league as Voracek.
Here's hoping there's a happy ending here, but right now, things just aren't the same.